Ruben Amorim cannot be held responsible for Manchester United’s dismal situation, according to Gus Poyet. The Portuguese boss faces mounting scrutiny at Old Trafford following the Red Devils’ continuation of last season’s poor form into the current campaign.
Amorim has secured victory in just 19 of his 49 matches at the helm as he struggles to successfully establish his preferred 3-4-3 formation. Despite the growing criticism surrounding him, former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Poyet remains convinced that the issues at Old Trafford run much deeper.
Speaking to the Daily Star via bojoko.com, the current Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors boss declared: “I want to say something very important because I know what people will say. I’m not trying to be managers’ union, defending coaches.
“Man Utd now is not a problem of the coach. Pick the best coach in the world, the one that you like the most, probably at Man Utd, he will get sacked in six months, 10 months, or 18 months.
“The problem at Man Utd is not a coach and it’s been proven. I think that Amorim had a great opportunity to get into the Premier League after what he did in Portugal.
“He couldn’t say no because sometimes you cannot say no to Man Utd, but I assure you that the problem in there is not a coach.
“It’s a complete change of culture, a competitive change of mentality of the players, because you cannot continue to compare Man Utd with the Man Utd of Sir Alex Ferguson. He’s gone. It’s finished, it’s over.
“Get away from Man Utd and just analyse the game, analyse the players. Don’t try to analyse Man United. I don’t think that the manager is the problem.
“Individually we all make mistakes and some managers can get a little bit more from those players than others.”
Poyet then addressed the criticism Amorim has faced over his tactics and system, namely his controversial 3-4-3 formation that he refuses to deviate from.
“I would say that last year it was tough for him because he’s going into a club with the players that are already there and he tried to impose his system independent of the players.
“So that is a big debate that we can talk for ages. The formation and the system, independent of the players, and the one that will adapt to the players to play the system that maybe is better.
“Now, they went through preseason and they’ve got plenty of players. And the players that came, they came to play that system.
“So now it’s completely different, and now if it’s not working, it’s not about the system, it’s not about the coach, unfortunately, it’s a problem that’s been there for a long time.”