SOCCER: Man Utd boss Amorim accepts criticism from former players Reporting

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has accepted the criticism directed at him by former players of the Premier League club but said the team is being judged without having “all the information.”

United sit eighth in the league standings and have managed just two wins in their last six matches. Former midfielder Paul Scholes said last week that Amorim was not the right man to lead the club, claiming he did not understand Manchester United’s culture.

Asked about the remarks, Amorim said the main issue was results.

“It’s not about winning in a certain way — not winning is the problem,” Amorim told reporters ahead of Monday’s league match against Bournemouth. “If I’m winning, I can arrive on a horse, play with just two defenders, and everything will be fine.”

“The truth is that I’m not doing well enough as a manager, and that’s a fact,” he added. “We are underachieving. We should have more points, especially this season, and I accept that naturally.”

Amorim said former players often judge the club based on the standards they experienced during their time at Old Trafford, when success was routine.

“Sometimes they don’t have all the information, and they see Manchester United with the standards they lived here — always winning,” he said. “So it’s hard for them to see the club in this situation.”

Scholes also questioned Amorim’s handling of United academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo. The 20-year-old played for England in the Euro 2024 final and scored in United’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City that year. This season, Mainoo has made 10 substitute appearances, with his only start coming in August during United’s League Cup exit to fourth-tier Grimsby Town on penalties.

Amorim said he would be open to Mainoo requesting a loan move during the January transfer window if it helped the player’s development.

“I won’t say what I would say to Kobbie, but I would be pleased if he came to talk to me about that,” Amorim said. “I want my players to be happy, and I understand that everyone has their own goals. Frustration doesn’t help anyone.”

He added that while he has had conversations with Mainoo in the past, they have not discussed a potential loan move.

“I’m completely open to talk,” Amorim said. “But right now, the focus is on Bournemouth, and we’ll see what happens.” -Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman/Reuters