Jamie Carragher makes Ruben Amorim sack claim and attributes blame for Man Utd woes

Manchester United knew what they were signing up for when they hired Ruben Amorim and must remain patient while he implements his ideas. That is the opinion of Jamie Carragher who has pushed back against those who believe Amorim should change his playing style as a reaction to his team’s poor results.

Amorim’s future at United has been thrown into question following the 4-1 thrashing by Newcastle on Sunday which handed them a 14th league defeat of the season for successive campaigns. United’s mediocrity was underlined by the fact that Newcastle followed Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham in completing a league double over Amorim’s side, who sit a lowly 14th in the Premier League table.

Their entire season now rides on the second leg of the Europa League quarter final against Lyon on Thursday, with the competition offering the golden ticket to the Champions League for its winners.

The pressure is on Amorim after Andre Onana made two howlers to gift Lyon a 2-2 draw in the first leg, while the Portuguese coach continually dismissed questions about the Newcastle performance by turning attention to Thursday’s game.

Amorim arrived from Sporting Lisbon with a clear philosophy, with his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation a non-negotiable. United’s players have struggled to get to grips with its nuances, leading some to call for compromise, but Carragher thinks that would amount to an admission from the club that they hired the wrong man.

“I think Amorim is probably at the end of that queue if you like," he said on Sky Sports ’ Monday Night Football when asked who was to blame for the current malaise. “You'd have to look at the ownership and the players there. He's going into a really difficult situation.

“We have to remember he didn't want to take the job right away. He wanted to come in the summer. In a pre-season, but the results that he's got they're still not good enough. We know for Man United, we're not expecting them to win every week, we know they're not a top team, but they shouldn't be where they are in the league table, even with the players that they've got.

“It took a bit of time, obviously, for the system. People are still yet to be convinced by that, is that the right decision? Not actually from him, [but] by the club for employing him because he came with that system, that's his DNA. People keep saying, 'oh, he's got to change the system.'

“I don't really see it like that because his whole managerial career and the success that he's had has been based on that system, that's what he knows. If he goes to something else, they might as well change the manager.”

United host Lyon at Old Trafford on Thursday knowing victory will land them a Europa League semi final against the winners of Athletic Bilbao and Rangers. They then host in-form Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday.

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