After leaving his sphere of influence at Sporting in November, Ruben Amorim has had nothing short of a nightmarish start to his reign at Manchester United. With only 29 points, 28 goals, and a -6 goal differential from 24 games, United is sagging in 13th place in the Premier League.
In his first 13 league games as manager, Amorim has experienced seven defeats, which is more than in his final 75 games as Sporting manager.
After a respectable draw against Liverpool, United appeared to be turning things around when they eliminated Arsenal from the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium.
In addition, the Red Devils defeated Fulham, Southampton, and Rangers to increase their winning streak to five straight.
However, United suffered another home defeat to Crystal Palace last Sunday, two weeks after Brighton & Hove Albion defeated them 3-1 at Old Trafford.
The 2-0 loss dampened the atmosphere once further before Leicester City’s FA Cup fourth-round matchup on Friday at M16.
According to Keys, Amorim may already be considering a quick departure from what still appears to be an unachievable position based on his choices and performance.
“This week, there isn’t much to say about United. Again, poor, was it? However, when they have to play against the opposition, it’s always that way,” Keys wrote in his latest blog.
“They’re fine if they’re occupying a low block and preventing the opposition from playing. They suffer when they have to play away from home, which is why they have now dropped seven games.
“What about pretending to be Mainoo? Zirkzee and Hojlund are also at your disposal. With a decision like that, what are you really telling those players?
“I fear that Amorim appears to be completely out of his element. It’s not working the way I wanted it to. If he wishes to remain in the position, he will need to adapt and pick things up quickly. I still don’t think he doesn’t want to leave already.
Amorim would have anticipated taking on a difficult challenge at United, but he will undoubtedly have been surprised by how difficult his early phase has been.
Following the match against Leicester, his squad must contend with two tough away league games against Tottenham and David Moyes’ revitalized Everton.
It seems improbable, though, that Amorim will change his mind and abandon his early worldview.
