Amorim admits culture change needed as Man Utd lose again at home

West Ham got back to winning ways at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Mon, 12 May, 2025 - 06:33

Ian Whittell

Man United 0 West Ham 2

RUBEN Amorim presided over another Old Trafford horror show - and a ninth Manchester United home defeat of the Premier League campaign - to leave the beleaguered manager admitting he could be fighting for his job, six months after arriving.

A 17th overall league loss makes this the worst season, in terms of defeats, since the club was relegated in 1973-74 but it was the manner of this latest setback that was particularly stark.

Amorim accused his players of lacking urgency, admitted he felt embarrassed and said United have lost the big club mentality that made them one of the most feared names in Europe for most of this century.

But, when it comes to how he can right the sinking ship this summer, he was particularly frank about his own position at Old Trafford.

“I don't want to talk about the players. I'm talking about myself in the culture, in the club, in the culture, in the team,” said Amorim.

“I have that feeling. We need to change that. And we need to be really strong in the summer and to be brave because we will not have a next season like this.

“If we start like this or if the feeling is still here, we should give the space to different persons.”

The only thing that currently stands between Amorim and a potential sacking, of course, is the fact that he has led them to a Europa League Final meeting with Tottenham in ten days which could, incredibly, end with United in the Champions League.

Amorim conceded, however, that actually qualifying for Europe’s most prized competition may not be what he wants right now.

“To be honest with you, I am not concerned about the final,” he said. “It’s by far the smallest problem in our club. We need to change something that is deeper than this.

“And if we are showing that in the end of this season, that we are not playing Premier League and Champions League for us is the moon. So we need to know that.

“And so I'm not concerned about the final. They will be focussed and I don't know what is best, if it’s playing Champions League or not.”

Amorim has been in charge for 13 of the club’s 17 defeats this season, and lost seven of his 12 home fixtures as manager - alarming statistics, even allowing for United’s focus on Europe over recent weeks.

“For me, the biggest concern is that feeling that this is okay, we cannot change our position so much, so it's okay,” said Amorim.

“And that is the biggest problem in our club in this moment because we are losing the feeling of ‘we are a massive club in is the end of the world to lose a game at home.’”

Amorim responded with six changes from his midweek Europa semi-final winning line-up, an approach which led to West Ham, unsurprisingly, taking a 26th minute lead.

The goal featured a prominent role from former United full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who looked very much like a man with a point to prove on his return.

It was his clever pass into the United area that allowed Mohammed Kudus to drive a cross-shot towards the far post where Tomas Soucek arrived ahead of Harry Amass, flicking the ball in via a slight deflection off the United youngster.

With Rasmus Hojlund enduring another torrid afternoon as the ineffective spearhead of United’s frontline, West Ham doubled their lead, as Manuel Ugarte was caught dawdling on the ball by Wan-Bissaka in the 57th minute.

Mohammed Kudus gathered the loose ball, surging forward past Harry Maguire and, after his shot was blocked, Wan-Bissaka sent the rebound across goal for Jarrod Bowen to convert from six yards.

“I feel how a manager of Manchester United is supposed to feel in that position: embarrassed and it’s hard to accept, added Amorim.

“Everybody has to think seriously about a lot of things here. Everybody is thinking about the final, the final is not an issue in this moment in our club, we have bigger things to think and we have to change a lot of things at the end of the season.”

Man United (3-4-2-1): Bayindir 6; Mazraoui 5, Yoro 6 (Maguire 52, 6), Shaw 5 (Lindelof 52, 5); Diallo 6 (Eriksen 83), Fernandes 5, Ugarte 4 (Dorgu 59, 5), Amass 5; Mainoo 5, Mount 6 (Garnacho 59, 5); Hojlund 4. Substitutes (not used) Heaton, Casemiro, Fredricson, Obi.

West Ham (3–4-1-2): Areola 7; Todibo 7 (Mavropanos 83), Kilman 7, Cresswell 7; Coufal 7 (Palmieri 83), Ward-Prowse 6, Rodriguez 6 (Alvarez 64, 6), Wan-Bissaka 9; Soucek 7; Bowen 7 (Fullkrug 73, 6), Kudus 8 (Soler 73, 6). Substitutes (not used) Fabianski, Paqueta, Guilherme, Ferguson.

Referee: J Gillett 7