Rúben Amorim Looked Broken. And Who Can Really Blame Him?
You could see it in his face during the match. The frustration, the helplessness it wasn’t just another bad day at the office.
This was a man carrying the weight of a football club that hasn’t felt like itself in over a decade.
Rúben Amorim has now said out loud what many suspected: he would’ve preferred to finish the season at Sporting before jumping into the Manchester United job. No surprise there. His start in England has been nothing short of brutal.
Four wins. Eight defeats. Just 14 matches in and United are 15th in the table, now sitting below Everton.
That’s not a typo. And next up? A trip to Goodison Park that suddenly feels like it could define more than just a weekend.
While Amorim’s still wading through chaos, Everton, of all clubs, have found some clarity. Since David Moyes returned to Merseyside, the Toffees have rattled off four wins from six and clawed their way clear of the drop zone. It’s not pretty football, but it’s working.
When someone asked Amorim why Everton seem to be thriving under new management while United look lost, he didn’t dance around it.
“David Moyes is doing a better job than I am. That’s the truth,” he said. Straight-faced. No fluff, no media training filter.
He gave credit where it was due.
“We’ve got to acknowledge Everton’s players and especially their coach. That deserves respect.”
“What Moyes has done rebuilding that team… it’s not easy. But you can feel the belief again. You can feel the trust coming back.”
Of course, Moyes’ name stirs different memories at Old Trafford. He was the guy brought in to replace Sir Alex Ferguson. And here we are, twelve years later, and that shadow still hangs heavy over the club and over every poor soul who tries to sit in the same seat.
“It shows how hard this job is,” Amorim said when the inevitable Fergie legacy came up.
“This club was built around one man for so long. That kind of presence doesn’t just fade. When someone like that steps away, it changes everything and that kind of shift is never easy to manage.”
There was a report earlier this week one of those stories that leaks when a manager’s under pressure suggesting Amorim didn’t want to take the job mid-season at all. That he wanted to wait, come in fresh during the summer, have a proper preseason, put his stamp on the squad.
And when asked about it? He didn’t deny a thing.
“Yeah, that’s true,” he said. “I think it’s pretty obvious. It’s common sense.”
“Starting at the beginning of the season is completely different from being dropped in halfway through. I had my reasons for wanting that. But this is Manchester United. You don’t say no.”
Still, you have to wonder does he regret it?
Because this job isn’t just hard. It’s unforgiving. No time. No patience. No grace period.
But Amorim kept his cool.
“No. I don’t regret it,” he said. “When you take a job, you commit. You don’t look back.”
Then again, he’s human. And there was no hiding the frustration in his voice.
“But yeah… hearing we’ve only won four out of 14 games? At United? That’s painful.”
“Even if I was coaching a smaller club, that’d hurt. But here? It stings more. A lot more.”
You could hear it. That anger. That disappointment. But also the quiet defiance.
“There are days I’m angry. Really angry. You feel stuck, like your hands are tied. But the only way out is forward and we’ve got a chance to turn things around in the next match.”
Caught Between Two Eras: The Reality Amorim Walked Into
The truth is, this isn’t just about tactics or lineups. Amorim didn’t inherit a team he inherited a crisis.
Half the dressing room is filled with players clinging to past glories, while the other half are kids trying to find their feet. There’s no spine, no real identity, no direction.
And worse? No preseason. No transfer window. Barely enough time to remember everyone's name before the pressure kicked in.
It’s not like he had a clean slate to build from. He was thrown into the fire and handed a box of wet matches.
And that Moyes comparison? It hurts because it's so damn revealing.
Moyes failed miserably at United. Everyone remembers it. But now? He’s older, calmer, maybe a little humbler. At Everton, he’s playing simple, direct football. Ugly sometimes, sure but effective. It gets results.
Amorim, meanwhile, looks like a man learning maybe too late what English football does to idealists without a buffer.
The Weight of the Badge: More Than Just a Job
This isn’t Sporting Lisbon. At Sporting, Amorim had time. He built something. He earned trust. But at Old Trafford, you walk into a hall of ghosts.
Ferguson might not be in the dugout, but he’s always there. In the stands. In the press conferences. In the fans' chants. In every headline.
This is a job where finishing fifth might still be seen as failure. And right now, Amorim would bite your hand off for fifth.
He hasn’t lost the dressing room not yet but anyone watching can see the tension. Body language says more than words. Confused players. Heads down. No clear system. Leaky at the back. Toothless in attack.
It’s like watching a team that knows it’s broken, but can’t find the glue.
Survival Mode: Forget Revival, Just Get to May
Let’s be honest. No one’s talking about top four anymore. Not even Europa League. This isn’t about saving the season. This is about surviving it physically, mentally, emotionally.
For Amorim, it’s about proving he can hold this squad together long enough to make it to summer without complete collapse.
Because the next few games? They’re not just matches. They’re auditions. For the players. For the fans. For Amorim himself.
Everton away might not be a title decider, but it could decide whether people still believe in this project.
And here’s the thing: Amorim being angry? That’s a good sign. It shows he still feels it. He still cares. And so do the fans even if that care is starting to curdle into fury.
But passion alone doesn’t win matches. At some point, the performances have to change. The results have to come. The belief has to be earned.
Because the clock’s ticking. And if Amorim wants to be here next season, the time to show he belongs?
That time is now.