Amorim chokes at Man Utd formation change ‘demand’ as wife gives worrying insight into struggles

Ruben Amorim has responded badly to an apparent demand from the Manchester United hierarchy to alter his formation to a 4-3-3, leading to claims that it is now just a matter of ‘when, not if’ he will be sacked from the Red Devils hotseat.

The Portuguese is approaching his 11-month anniversary in the Red Devils hotseat, having abandoned the comfort of his position with Sporting CP to take on the monumental challenge of restoring Manchester United to their former glories. But if Amorim, or indeed, United were expecting an easy ride and an instant improvement, they have been very much mistaken.

Now some 49 games on from his first at the helm, Amorim is presiding over the single worst record of any manager of Manchester United since World War II, having only managed to win a woeful 18 of his matches so far.

Wedded to his 3-4-2-1 formation, questions over Amorim’s refusal to change or try another formation have been apparent from the get-go – and noises that his stubbornness could cost him his job are growing louder by the game.

While a number of top sources, including the BBC’s Simon Stone and The Sun’s Samuel Luckhurst, insist INEOS are determined for Amorim to succeed and are not yet considering his removal as manager, a new report in indykaila News claims United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is leading calls for the manager to revert to a 4-3-3 formation to see if that leads to improved results and performances.

The account wrote on X: ‘Exclusive: Formation request & sacked. According to sources at Manchester United Ruben Amorim was called in by the bosses at @ManUtd for urgent meeting.

‘The manager has been asked to change the formation to 4-3-3. Ruben Amorim was left speechless with the formation request. Certain #mufc officials believe the manager is to get sacked is now WHEN & not IF at this stage.’

While the account in question has been proven right on certain exclusives in recent times, they have been called over others…

Meanwhile, Amorim’s wife has given a worrying insight into Amorim’s state of mind, which also echoes what our reporter Fraser Fletcher revealed earlier this week…

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Amorim’s wife comes clean on Man Utd manager’s struggles

Addressing her husband’s struggles to get a tune out of the United side and pick up improved results, Senhora Amorim has given an insight into the 40-year-old’s personal difficulties.

Speaking to PrimeVideoSport, Maria Joao stated: “Ruben has been having sleepless nights since he came to England. It’s never easy. People need to understand that, we’re disappointed at the abuse he gets.

“I asked him, ‘Is all of this worth it?’ He said that’s what he signed up for.”

While sleepless nights are a common side-effect of top-level management, her concerns for her husband’s well-being are understandable.

And her comments follow on from our reporter, Fletcher, who revealed on Monday that, in the corridors of power at Old Trafford, whispers of uncertainty are growing louder, with the Portuguese tactician seemingly buckling under mounting pressure.

Insiders acknowledge that the squad lacks the personnel to execute his rigid 3-4-2-1 formation effectively – defensive frailties and midfield imbalances have been glaring and came to the fore yet again on Saturday during a frustrating 3-1 setback at Brentford.

Yet, this hasn’t quelled rising frustrations.

A source at United exclusively told TEAMtalk: “He [Amorim] looks knackered, he knows it’s not working.”

In addition, according to CentreDevils, a United-centric website, Amorim is described as a “lonely man” within the club as he struggles to get to internalise their ongoing struggles and as he wrestles to get the best from his players.

The report, from the widely-known Sully, states that the United boss “often walks away from the team” in training and, after losses, he “sometimes sits on his own and doesn’t speak to anyone.”

The report further states: “One source feels the job has broken him mentally and he looks like a ghost of his former self from when he first joined.”

In another damaging claim, it’s revealed the atmosphere within United is “one of the lowest it has been in a long time.”

Rangnick names ideal Amorim replacement; sack could save Man Utd struggler

Meanwhile, former United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has seemingly delivered a ringing endorsement of who the Red Devils could replace the struggling Amorim with.

The Austrian had a less-than-effective spell in interim charge of United, but knew of the shortfalls the club was facing, and is very much still seen as one of the great minds of the modern game.

Elswhere, one player who has found himself limited by Amorim’s system will likely be waiting to see what the future holds for the Portuguese before deciding his own future and having been told by a source that axing the manager could yet save his United career.

And finally, reports suggest that Bournemouth are working hard to tie manager Andoni Iraola down to a new contract amid interest from United.

He has been identified as the top choice to replace Amorim, should he be sacked, and the Cherries are ‘vulnerable’ to losing him due to his contract expiring at the end of this season.

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