Roy Keane nails biggest problem Amorim has in avoiding Man Utd sack as shock exit route opens up

Roy Keane is adamant Ruben Amorim could soon find himself out of a job at Manchester United if results don’t quickly improve, despite multiple sources offering reassurances over the Portuguese’s immediate future and with an opportunistic club director at a European giant ready to offer the 40-year-old an exit route.

When Amorim was chosen as the successor to Erik ten Hag in November of last year, there was an expectation that results would immediately improve with the Dutchman having failed to get a consistent tune out of his expensively assembled squad. What followed was a season of despair, with Manchester United finishing 15th – their lowest ever Premier League finish – and failing to turn up when it mattered most in the Europa League final.

Despite being allowed to spend in excess of £200m on new signings this summer – Amorim chose to rebuild his attack with three big new names all signing on the dotted line – results have largely been no better.

Four games in, United are 14th in the table, and already eight points adrift of Liverpool. A familiar and sorry start.

Worse yet, they have only scored one goal from open play so far in the Premier League, making a mockery of the enormous sums invested to sign Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.

In light of their struggles, Keane does not see any evidence of progress at United under Amorim and believes his lack of impact since coming in only heightens claims he could soon be sacked.

“We were told the manager needed a pre-season, his own players and they have spent over £200m, so we keep making excuses. When are we going to see signs?” Keane told Sky Sports.

“You see Slot going into Liverpool, they end up winning the league and Frank to Spurs, are they improving? Yeah.

“My worry is… maybe the players haven’t got that much faith in it. As much as the manager is saying ‘this is where we are going’, as the results don’t come and you are getting beaten by the better teams, he is making loads of changes… it is like they are going round in circles.

“We gave him the benefit of the doubt when he first came in.”

Despite our sources explaining why Amorim is not in any immediate danger of the sack, a director of a major club back in his homeland is ready to open the door to Amorim’s return to the Primeira Liga….

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Benfica ready to offer Amorim a Man Utd escape route

While multiple sources, including our own Fraser Fletcher, have confirmed United have no plans to axe their manager any time soon and the time for judgement will likely be held off for now, an opportunistic Benfica director has opened the door to a possible return to his homeland for Amorim.

To that end, Benfica director Nuno Gomes has assured Amorim that, in the future, the opportunity to manage his side will present itself to him – despite his association and success with their great rivals, Sporting CP, whom he led to two Primeira Liga titles.

“Ruben Amorim is the manager of Manchester United. I can’t answer that question. What I am sure of is that Ruben Amorim will be the manager of Benfica. It’s something I know for sure will happen one day…” he told the media in his country.

Talk of Amorim’s defection, though, appears a moot point for now and the manager will be determined to try and forge a path to success at Old Trafford as his first priority.

Indeed, per Sky Sports, there is a feeling at Old Trafford that United are, despite Keane’s claims, making progress and that the manner of their performance at the Etihad was not necessarily true of the 3-0 scoreline.

They wrote that ‘there is pragmatism in the Old Trafford boardroom too recognising that, had Bryan Mbeumo’s wondrous volley not been met with an equally wonderful Gianluigi Donnarumma save when the score was 2-0, or had Casemiro not missed a sitter at the back post later on in the game – there might have been a better gloss to the result.

‘Amorim and the United hierarchy feel they are losing out on the fine margins right now.’

Despite that, United will need to find their shooting boots quickly and one goal from open play – their others so far have come from the penalty spot and two from corner-kicks – especially in light of their huge outlay on strengthening their attack over the summer.

As it stands, that tally of goals scored from open play is only better than two other sides in the division; a concern.

Man Utd latest: Game over for big-money flop; Donnarumma miss explained

Should the axe fall on Amorim, however, a major United transfer lined up for 2026 will likely have the plug pulled on it.

Meanwhile, Manuel Ugarte faces a huge battle to save his United career after Fabrizio Romano confirmed the club are very much open to his sale – while TEAMtalk can analyse exactly how much they can expect to lose on their £50m investment.

Elsewhere, why United steered themselves away from signing Gianluigi Donnarumma has been definitively revealed by the Italian journalist, with Sunday’s clash against Man City showcasing why United have got it wrong once again.

Amorim now statistically Man Utd’s worst manager since World War II