Maybe the worst team in Man Utd history – Amorim

Ruben Amorim, the club’s head coach, has compared his team to “perhaps the worst” in its 147-year history.

Brighton’s 3-1 defeat for United marked their fourth straight home Premier League defeat.

Since Amorim’s November replacement, Erik ten Hag, they have collected 11 points in 11 league games.

United are 13th in the table, 10 points clear of Fulham’s relegation zone, but seven points behind.

“In]the past] 10 games in Premier League, we won two”, said Amorim. Imagine what a Manchester United fan might think of this. For me, imagine what this means.

“We are getting a new coach,” he claims. That is something I am aware of.

“We are the worst team in Manchester United’s history,” he said. We must acknowledge that and make changes because I know you [media] want headlines. Here you go: your headlines”.

After conceding a goal early against Brighton, United did equalize.

However, rather than Bruno Fernandes ‘ penalty becoming a springboard for a better display, they were badly outplayed.

When you look at the stats, Amorim was slightly exaggerating when he called his team “maybe the worst” in the club’s history. But not by a lot.

Only 13 United teams have ever had a lower point total during the entire club’s history, with the last one occurring in 1986-87.

Other performance indicators include the following:

Before the game, Amorim had a lengthy conversation with legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson was leaving the field after participating in the pre-game memorial to Denis Law, a former United striker, who passed away on Friday. Before he could begin the game, referee Peter Bankes had to wait until Ferguson had finished.

Amorim claimed Ferguson had instructed him to “keep positive” and that he had been told to do so by BBC Radio 5.

On some days, that is much easier than others.

As the losses stack up, more and more questions are being raised about whether United are heading in the right direction. United’s only recent Old Trafford success came against bottom club Southampton on Thursday. Even then, they had been trailing.

Amorim says he is not “naive” and understands the pressure he is under.

The former Sporting boss is adamant he will not change his 3-4-3 formation, which brought him such success in Portugal, but he admits United’s players are struggling to adapt.

“I was aware at the time that it would be difficult to put a completely new idea together,” he said. “But when you lose games and don’t win three games in a row, it becomes really difficult,” he said.

“Everyone here is performing poorly, and we must come to terms with that.” Losing so many games is unacceptable. In many ways, the opponents are more effective than we are.

We can’t be consistently, and I’m just not helping my players right now. You have to acknowledge we are in a very difficult situation, with all the bad records, as losing games at home, losing games in the Premier League.

A significant rebuilding effort is obviously necessary, and if possible, a significant number of players will leave.

Real Betis, a Spanish side, are one of several clubs attempting to sign Brazilian winger Antony, who is the second-most expensive player in the club’s history, for £81 million.

Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia is reportedly the subject of interest from both the Premier League and other countries. Both Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof’s contracts expire in the summer, respectively.

Midfielder Casemiro would be released if a suitable offer came in for the 32-year-old – United’s highest earner on £375, 000 a week – who has not played a single minute since the 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle on 30 December.

Forward Marcus Rashford is also on his way out, with Amorim stating: “It’s his choice. Rashford is out at this moment. I won’t accept a player if I don’t think it would be best for the team.

United have rebuffed Napoli interest in Alejandro Garnacho but there are other clubs, including Chelsea, keen on the 20-year-old forward.

The club has stated that they do not encourage bids for their saleable assets, which include England international Kobbie Mainoo, but that they do need to raise money if Amorim plans to add players who might be beneficial to his system.

And then there’s goalkeeper Andre Onana, who followed up his outstanding performance against Southampton by gifting Brighton’s third goal in an oddly placed position when he came out collecting a routine cross.

“It’s like the team – ups and downs”, Amorim said of Onana’s performance. “Really high ups and really low downs”.

Diego Leon, a 17-year-old Paraguayan defender, is the one player who deserves the slightest cling to keep an eye on.