Ruben Amorim Archives

Ruben Amorim sacked by Manchester United after 14-month reign

Ruben Amorim has been sacked as Manchester United manager 14 months after arriving at Old Trafford, the club announced on Monday.

United said in a statement that the Portuguese had left his role, with the club’s leadership having “reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change”.

The club added, “This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.

“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.”

Current Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher will take charge of the team against Burnley on Wednesday.

United are currently sixth in the Premier League table after a 1-1 draw at Leeds on Sunday.

After that game, an irate Amorim stressed he was United’s manager rather than just the coach during an eye-catching press conference in which he told the scouting department and director of football, Jason Wilcox, “to do their job”.

The 40-year-old had alluded to frustration behind the scenes in the build-up to the match as the United boss refused to clarify his recent comments about the club’s transfer plans.

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He had looked downbeat when he sidestepped those questions but was more forthcoming when asked on Sunday if he still felt he had confidence from the board.

“Guys, to start with that — and I noticed that you receive selective information about everything — I came here to be the manager of the Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United,” Amorim said. “And that is clear.

“I know that my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, it’s not (Antonio) Conte, it’s not (Jose) Mourinho but I’m the manager of Manchester United.

“And it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change, so that was my point.

“I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me.”

Amorim was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to the Europa League final in Bilbao in May, losing to Tottenham Hotspur, but they finished 15th in the Premier League last season.

His 14-month stint is the shortest reign of a permanent manager at United since David Moyes was sacked just eight months into his tenure in 2014.

United, 20-time English champions, have not won the Premier League since 2013, in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge.

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Amorim opens up on ‘formation change’ ahead of Wolves clash

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insisted he had to establish a formation at Old Trafford before asking his squad to demonstrate tactical flexibility, as succumbing to media pressure would have been “the end” for him.

Amorim departed from a back three with wing-backs for the first time in Friday’s 1-0 win over Newcastle and instead fielded a conventional back four with two holding midfielders.

The Portuguese boss memorably once said not even the Pope could force him to change his system.

But Amorim, with United now just three points adrift of a Champions League place, insisted he was never as obstinate as he appeared.

“When I came here last season, I understood maybe I don’t have the players to play well in that system, but it was the beginning of a process,” he said ahead of Tuesday’s match against relegation-threatened Wolves at Old Trafford.

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“We were trying to build an identity. Today is a different moment. We don’t have a lot of players, and we need to adapt, so they understand why we are changing.”

The 40-year-old former Sporting Lisbon boss added: “When you (the media) talk about changing the system all the time, I cannot change because the players will understand I’m changing because of you, and I think that is the end for the manager.

“When we are playing well in our system, that is the moment to change.

“We are going to become a better team because when all the players return, we are not going to play with three defenders all the time.”

United only had two wins in eight games prior to beating Newcastle and will be without seven senior players for the match against bottom-of-the-table Wolves, still without a victory after 18 Premier League fixtures this season.

Club captain Bruno Fernandes will miss the Wolves game, despite telling his manager he wants to return to action following a hamstring injury in a December 21 defeat at Aston Villa.

“Bruno is already saying he needs to train,” said Amorim.

“But there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. No chance. You can write that.”

However, the 31-year-old playmaker will still have an influence on the game.

“The guy is a leader,” said Amorim. “He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he’s not talking and speaking. He’s always speaking. That’s why he’s the captain.”

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Amorim wants Man Utd players to cover ‘irreplaceable’ Fernandes

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has urged his players to “step up” in the absence of “impossible to replace” skipper Bruno Fernandes.

The Portugal international suffered a soft tissue injury sustained in Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa and, although Amorim believes the midfielder will be back soon, he is acutely aware of the need to fill the gap in United’s attack.

Fernandes, who has started every Premier League match this season, is the English top-flight’s most creative player, creating 51 chances and while he is sidelined, United will also be without Kobbie Mainoo for Friday’s clash at home to Newcastle.

“It is impossible to replace Bruno but I said that this morning to the team,” Amorim told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

“We need to take the good thing — if there is a good thing on that — that a lot of people need to step up and understand we cannot rely on one player for everything.

“Sometimes we rely on Bruno for organisation and the creation. We have lost Bruno on set-pieces, Bryan (Mbeumo) and Amad (Diallo) on set-pieces, so this is massive for the team.

“But it is an opportunity for other players to step up and show the leadership that we need in the team.”

The Portuguese boss, asked what United would miss most when deprived of Fernandes’s leadership qualities, replied: “Everything.

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“He understands every position on the field, he pays attention to every detail; every set-piece when you have a substitution he is always the guy telling the other guys where they should be.

“But that is a very good opportunity for guys like Licha (Lisandro Martinez), Luke Shaw, all these guys. We need to step up to have more leaders in the group because this can happen to Bruno.

“It is not usual but this can happen, so it is a big opportunity for the other guys.

“We have other players we need to maybe try to see different ways of playing. I think Jack Fletcher did a very good job (when he came on against Villa) and that is why when we have this opportunity we have to give space to Jack and the other ones.

“We will find solutions to play.”

United are currently seventh in the table, three points adrift of the Champions League places.

After Newcastle, United face basement club Wolves, Leeds, Burnley and Brighton. They will look to pile up the points ahead of what are sure to be sterner challenges in back-to-back games against title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal.

United have won just two of their last eight league fixtures but Amorim said: “I am confident we can win any game.

“Of course we have some problems, but even without many players in this moment in time I believe in the team and I believe we can win any game.

“Of course it is more difficult but I trust in my players and if we are really focused, we can win.”

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Amorim takes aim at Man Utd youth stars over ‘entitlement’

Ruben Amorim said provocative social media posts from two of Manchester United’s academy stars showed a damaging “feeling of entitlement” at the Premier League club.

The United boss last week said Harry Amass was “struggling” at Sheffield Wednesday, bottom of the Championship, and pointed out that Chido Obi was not always a starter in United’s under-21s.

The 18-year-olds both uploaded and subsequently deleted Instagram story posts.

Amass posted a photo of himself holding the Sheffield Wednesday’s player of the month award for November with a grinning emoji.

Obi’s post showed him with arms out celebrating a goal for the Under-21s against Manchester City in August.

But Amorim defended his direct approach at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“I think it’s a little bit the feeling of entitlement that we have in our club,” the Portuguese said when asked if he had seen the posts.

“Sometimes strong words are not bad words. Sometimes difficult moments are not bad things for the kids. We don’t need to be always with accolades in everything, in every situation.”

The United boss called for a change of culture at the club, who are sixth in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s visit to high-flying Aston Villa.

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“The players sometimes forget about what it means to play for Manchester United. We as a club sometimes forget who we are,” he said.

“And that’s the feeling that I have. So I understand everything. It’s the environment, it’s the moment of the players, the kids.

“They feel entitled. They feel free to respond the manager with a picture.”

Amorim said his office door was open if players wanted to discuss issues.

“Nobody is coming to talk to me,” he said. “And that is the way we can solve things. So I think we need to change first as a club. And then everything is going to change.”

The United boss was also asked about a T-shirt worn by Kobbie Mainoo’s half-brother earlier this week that carried the message “Free Kobbie Mainoo”.

England international Mainoo, 20, is still waiting for his first Premier League start of the season, with his lack of game time a major talking point.

“It was not Kobbie who wore the T-shirt,” said Amorim. “He is not going to start because of the T-shirt but he is not going to the bench because of the T-shirt.

“He’s going to play if we feel that he is the right guy. That is not an issue.”

Brazil midfielder Casemiro is suspended for the Villa game, giving a potential opening for Mainoo.

Defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are still injured while Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo are all on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Ruben Amorim responds to Ronaldo’s Man Utd criticism

Ruben Amorim has told Manchester United to “focus on the future” following former Old Trafford star Cristiano Ronaldo’s withering assessment of his old club.

United are looking to rebuild following a woeful 2024/25 season, which saw them finish a lowly 15th in the Premier League and lose in the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.

Ronaldo insisted this week United manager Amorim cannot do “miracles” at a club that is “not on a good path”, saying “they need to change and it’s not only about the coach and players”.

But when Ronaldo’s comments were put to his former Portugal team-mate ahead of this weekend’s trip to Spurs, the United boss said: “Of course he knows and he has a huge impact in everything he said.

“What we need to focus (on) is in the future. We know that we as a club made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. So, let’s not focus on what happened. Let’s focus on what we are doing now, and we are doing that.”

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Amorim said the changes being put in place were having positive results.

“We are changing a lot of things in the structure, the way we do things, the way we want the players to behave,” said the 40-year-old coach.

“We are doing that and we are improving, so let’s focus on the way we are doing things. We are improving, let’s continue and forget a little bit the past.”

United have lost their last four games against Spurs.

However, they head into Saturday’s match unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches, a sequence that includes a 2-1 win over champions and arch-rivals Liverpool.

Amorim, asked how United had changed since being beaten by Spurs in the Europa League final in May, replied: “First of all, the characteristics of the players. So, we are a better team, we play better, we understand the game better. I think we are more confident.

“We reached that final confident that we could win because we were doing well in Europe, but in this moment we play with a different confidence.

“We manage the moments of the game better. But if you remember that game, they had that shot on the goal; they won the game.

“So, I expect a different game, where we can play better, but also to have a little bit of luck to help us win the game.”

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Ruben Amorim wants sense of urgency at Man Utd despite Ratcliffe backing

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said the support of co-owner Jim Ratcliffe will mean little if he fails to turn around the club’s fortunes.

During an interview with a news outlet, British billionaire Ratcliffe said Amorim has to “demonstrate he is a great coach over three years”.

Amorim is approaching a year in the Old Trafford hotseat and is yet to win back-to-back Premier League games.

Doing so away to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday would be a major step in the right direction, and the Portuguese knows he will be under intense pressure until results improve.

“You know, I know, and Jim knows that football is not like that,” Amorim said at his pre-match press conference on Friday, referring to Ratcliffe’s timescale.

“The most important thing is the next game.”

Manchester United ended the season 15th in the Premier League last term — their lowest finish for 51 years — and squandered a chance to qualify for the Champions League when they lost the Europa League final to Tottenham.

They have fared little better this season, sitting 10th in the Premier League after losing three of their first seven league games and crashing to a shock League Cup defeat at fourth-tier Grimsby.

Yet Amorim has so far retained the support of Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada, and director of football Jason Wilcox.

“First of all, I can feel it. It’s not just that thing that people talk, I feel it every day. Sometimes the pressure that I put on the team, on myself, is so much bigger than them,” said Amorim.

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“I know that it’s going to take a while, but I don’t want to think like that. I said that last year. I think it also helps our fans to understand that the leadership understands that it’s going to take a while.

“But, at the same moment, I don’t like that because it will give a feeling that we have time to work things out. I don’t want that feeling here in our club.

“It’s good to feel the support but we need to prove in football, and especially in big clubs, that in every weekend we are ready to win games.”

A 2-0 victory over Sunderland before the international break eased the scrutiny on Amorim’s position.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens made a positive impression on his debut against the Black Cats — sections of the United support even compared him with club great Peter Schmeichel.

United have been hampered by numerous goalkeeping errors from both Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir during Amorim’s reign.

“The first impression in this club is really important. To maintain the level is even more important and is really difficult,” said Amorim.

“He’s not Schmeichel, yet, he’s a young guy with talent, he showed a lot of composure and the fans liked it, but that is in the past and we need to prove in the next game.”

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Ruben Amorim under pressure as Brentford stun Manchester United

Troubled Manchester United crashed to a 3-1 defeat at Brentford on Saturday as Bruno Fernandes’s penalty miss piled pressure on beleaguered boss Ruben Amorim.

Amorim’s side paid the price for another error-strewn display as Igor Thiago netted twice in the opening 20 minutes to punish shambolic defending.

Benjamin Sesko reduced the deficit with his first goal for United before half-time.

But United captain Fernandes squandered a golden opportunity to rescue a draw when his tame penalty was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher late in the second half before Mathias Jensen wrapped up the points in stoppage time.

Amorim had arrived in west London hoping to finally win successive league matches as United boss.

Instead, he left fearing the sack after the latest low moment since he moved from Sporting Lisbon to replace the axed Erik ten Hag in November.

United have lost three of their six Premier League games this season, winning just twice, and are languishing in 13th place.

A humiliating League Cup loss at fourth-tier Grimsby in August had fuelled speculation over Amorim’s future, with the boss admitting he had thought about quitting and often hated his players.

The 40-year-old was under fire again after a miserable 3-0 loss at Manchester City before last weekend’s 2-1 win over Chelsea gave him a little breathing space.

Losing to a Brentford team beaten three times in their first five games under the inexperienced boss Keith Andrews was a fresh indignity for Amorim, who will face renewed questions about his ability to revive United.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe reportedly gave his backing to Amorim during a recent meeting at the club’s training ground.

Ratcliffe’s support is likely to waver after this result, which leaves Amorim in dire need of a win over promoted Sunderland at Old Trafford next weekend before a daunting trip to champions Liverpool.

Matheus Cunha returned to the United team as the Brazilian started along with Benjamin Sesko and former Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo in attack for the first time since the trio’s summer moves.

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But United’s recent trips to Brentford have proved painful experiences, with a 4-0 defeat three years ago and a 4-3 loss in May.

Their latest visit to west London was no exception as United’s flaws were quickly exposed when Thiago struck after just eight minutes.

Jordan Henderson played an acceptable lofted pass beyond United’s flat-footed defence and, with Harry Maguire’s offside appeal in vain, Thiago drilled a clinical finish past Altay Bayindir from just inside the penalty area.

Brentford struck again in the 20th minute when Thiago flicked on to Kevin Schade, who burst into the area for a shot that Bayindir could only palm to Thiago, who poked home from close range.

Signed from Club Brugge to replace Bryan Mbeumo, Thiago already has five goals for the Bees, while the United forward, who netted 20 times in the league last term, has just two this season.

Like Mbeumo, Sesko had endured a disappointing start following his move from Leipzig.

The 22-year-old Slovenian finally showed a glimpse of his potential in the 26th minute.

Kelleher failed to deal with Patrick Dorgu’s cross under pressure from Mbeumo, and Sesko converted the rebound after his first two efforts were saved.

Yet United’s sloppy defending almost cost them again as Diogo Dalot’s weak challenge in the area was shrugged off by Kevin Schade, who teed up Dango Ouattara for a low shot that Bayindir saved at full stretch.

Amorim was given a lifeline in the 75th minute when Nathan Collins’ tug on Mbeumo conceded a penalty.

But after a long delay for a VAR check and a host of substitutions, Fernandes took a weak spot-kick that Kelleher easily saved.

As the final seconds ticked away, United were caught with a sucker punch on the counter.

Jensen raced away unchallenged and cut inside for a ferocious strike that fizzed into the roof of the net as Amorim’s misery mounted.

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Manchester United beat Chelsea to ease pressure on Amorim

Manchester United eased the pressure on beleaguered boss Ruben Amorim with a chaotic 2-1 win against Chelsea as both teams finished with 10 men at Old Trafford.

Fighting to avoid the sack after a woeful start to the season, Amorim received a welcome boost when Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off after just five minutes of Saturday’s clash.

Bruno Fernandes quickly put United ahead with his 100th goal for the club in all competitions in his 200th Premier League appearance.

Casemiro doubled United’s lead before the Brazil midfielder was dismissed for a second booking in first-half stoppage time.

Trevoh Chalobah’s late reply for Chelsea set up a tense finale, but United held on for just their second win in six matches in all competitions this term.

Having kicked off languishing just above the relegation zone, Amorim’s side climbed to ninth place to give the Portuguese coach a little breathing space.

“I felt the urgency. Of course, the Sanchez sending off helped us, but we had the red card with Casemiro. We like to complicate our game always,” Amorim said.

“It is really important to win because I understand the situation around this club.

“I have nothing to say to the critics, and most of the time they are right. Today we won, and it is a good day for us.”

Amorim, who has won just nine of his 32 Premier League matches, shouldn’t rest on his laurels just yet.

After presiding over United’s lowest top-flight finish since 1973-74 and a limp Europa League final loss to Tottenham last term, Amorim spent big in the summer to overhaul his moribund team.

But United suffered an embarrassing League Cup exit at fourth-tier Grimsby in August before last weekend’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City underlined the vast gulf to their rivals.

Former Sporting Lisbon boss Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, insists he retains the backing of co-owner Jim Ratcliffe after speaking to the British billionaire at the club’s training ground on Thursday.

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Ratcliffe was in the directors’ box at rain-lashed Old Trafford to see if his support for Amorim was well placed.

With storm clouds gathering for Amorim, he stuck with his much-criticised 3-4-3 formation after joking this week that even the Pope could not make him change his tactics.

The move paid dividends as the erratic Sanchez rashly raced out of his penalty area in a bid to clear before Bryan Mbeumo could reach Benjamin Sesko’s flick, but instead sent the United forward crashing to the turf with a reckless challenge.

It was a clear red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, and there were no complaints from Chelsea about their quickest ever Premier League dismissal.

Filip Jorgensen replaced Sanchez in goal as Maresca took off wingers Estevao, Willian, and Pedro Neto in a defensive move that immediately backfired.

United went for the jugular and took the lead in the 14th minute when Fernandes, played just onside by Chalobah, timed his run perfectly to meet Patrick Dorgu’s header with a clinical finish from four yards.

Chelsea’s misery mounted when England forward Cole Palmer was forced off with an apparent recurrence of a groin injury, making it a remarkable three substitutions in only 21 minutes for the Blues.

For once, the luck was all going Amorim’s way, and Chelsea imploded to gift United their second goal in the 37th minute.

Jorgensen stood rooted to the spot as Reece James’s sliced clearance was headed on by Harry Maguire to Casemiro, who nodded home from close range for his first league goal in 11 months.

Casemiro, booked for an earlier foul on Enzo Fernández, saw red on the stroke of half-time after needlessly pulling back Andrey Santos.

United struggled to find any rhythm in the second half, and Chalobah reduced the deficit in the 80th minute when he rose unmarked to meet James’s cross with a powerful header that flashed past Altay Bayindir from 12 yards.

It was too late to stop Chelsea slumping to their first league defeat this season as Amorim breathed a sigh of relief.

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Ruben Amorim keeps faith with Altay Bayindir for Manchester derby

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said on Friday that goalkeeper Altay Bayindir will keep his place for this weekend’s derby at Manchester City despite the arrival of Senne Lammens.

Goalkeeping woes have been at the heart of another sluggish start to the season for the Red Devils.

Bayindir has played all three Premier League games so far but was criticised for his part in goals scored by Arsenal and Burnley at Old Trafford.

Andre Onana started United’s embarrassing League Cup exit to fourth-tier Grimsby but has since been shipped out on loan to Turkish club Trabzonspor.

Lammens, 23, joined from Royal Antwerp for a reported initial fee of £18 million ($24 million) on September 1.

Amorim said the Belgian would compete to be his number one but is wary of throwing him in at the deep end against City at the Etihad.

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“We are really pleased. He’s a goalkeeper with a lot of potential. We are in the moment that we have to look at the present but also with the focus on the future. So it’s a little bit of both,” said Amorim on Lammens.

“Altay is going to continue because it’s a different league, it’s a different country, different trainings, different ball, so we’ll try to maintain that (consistency of selection) and they will fight for the position.”

Victory at the Etihad last season was one of Amorim’s few Premier League success stories last season.

Despite taking just four points from their opening three games, there have been small signs of improvement in United’s Premier League performances, either side of the Grimsby debacle.

And Amorim believes his side are better than when they beat their cross-city rivals in December, a month after he took over.

“I think we are a better team. I think if you see any aspect, if you see the data, we are a different team,” he said.

“We are ready to play the game, but we have to show it on Sunday.”

Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount, and Diogo Dalot have been ruled out of Sunday’s clash due to injury.

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Manchester United stars back Ruben Amorim, says Matthijs de Ligt

Matthijs de Ligt insists Manchester United players “stand behind” beleaguered boss Ruben Amorim and that they deserve the blame for the club’s calamitous start to the season.

Amorim’s side needed a last-gasp penalty from Bruno Fernandes to beat promoted Burnley 3-2 on Saturday after twice blowing the lead at Old Trafford.

United’s first Premier League win in three games this term came just days after a humiliating League Cup second round loss at fourth-tier Grimsby.

Amorim had admitted after the stunning cup defeat that he sometimes thinks about quitting United and often hates his players.

With speculation still swirling about Amorim’s future despite the much-needed victory over Burnley, United defender De Ligt backed his boss.

“I think the only thing that counted was a win,” he said. “Everybody saw how. We know we could have done that better, but the win was the most important thing.”

Asked if he wanted Amorim to stay, De Ligt added: “Yeah, of course. I mean, as a player you are responsible for the results.

“They always speak about the manager, obviously, but I think as players we also looked at each other in the eye after Grimsby and said to each other ‘guys, the performance of this week is not acceptable’.

“It will be really, I think, bad to say that it’s the manager’s fault or… it’s mostly us, and we know that.

“So, yeah, obviously, we still stand behind him, and he stands behind us, so we keep going like that. I think the result for today makes that feeling even more.”

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De Ligt was sporting a black eye from Wednesday’s battle with Grimsby, which ended in a penalty shoot-out loss after United recovered from two goals down in normal time.

De Ligt said the embarrassing result had not been discussed among the team at length because it was too painful.

“I don’t think there’s much been said because everybody knows how the feeling was,” he said.

“I think everybody from outside could also understand what the feeling is if you lose a game like that.

“So, yeah, it’s not easy. We know that. We were really disappointed, in ourselves especially, so then to win today was I think the only cure that could a little bit help the defeat of Wednesday.”

United hardly looked a cohesive unit against Burnley, with careless defending and poor goalkeeping twice allowing the visitors to draw level.

But Fernandes’ latest heroics in a United shirt kept the critics at bay heading into the international break.

Amorim will face a major test of his job security when Premier League action resumes for United at rivals Manchester City on September 14 before they host in-form Chelsea six days later.

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