Ruben Amorim has said he and the players take responsibility for the continued job losses at Manchester United.
The Red Devils have implemented a number of cost-cutting measures since INEOS took a minority shareholding at Old Trafford that goes hand in hand with the day-to-day running of the club.
A drop of 10% in commercial, broadcast and matchday revenue was reported in November for the three months up to September 30, 2024, and that followed a number of redundancies that have seen ‘non-essential’ roles taken away at the club in addition to other cutbacks.
United’s decisions and future plans have not been well received by many, with social media critics blasting Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS for their ‘brutal’ approach, but chiefs insist they are making necessary changes to modernise the business side of the club in a way that will make them sustainable off the field and successful on it.
The pressure is also on Amorim to turn things around on the pitch after a wretched start to his reign at Old Trafford. The Portuguese has been unable to reverse the downward spiral that began towards the end of Erik ten Hag’s tenure, and United sit 14th in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking ahead of the game, Amorim has admitted those responsible for the results on-field must recognise the impact of things off it, particularly when it comes to job losses for staff.
“I think it’s really important for us in the first team, coaches and players, to not ignore that,” Amorim said. “People are losing their jobs so we have to acknowledge that the biggest problem is the football team. We spend the money. We are not winning. We are not in the Champions League so the revenues are not the same. We spent a lot of money in the past and now we have to be careful with the finances so cannot rebuild the team the way we would like.
“People are losing their jobs and, of course, have that feeling of not being safe in their job. It’s hard to have that feeling so it affects the environment. We cannot ignore it, we acknowledge that problem.
“I want to say the responsibility is the first team and we have to change that.”
United’s rotten run of results has coincided with a terrible run of home form. Amorim won his first Old Trafford fixture convincingly – a 4-0 win over Everton at the start of December – but has picked up three points on just one other occasion, against bottom of the table Southampton.
Even in that game, United were trailing until a late Amad Diallo hat-trick spared their blushes, but they have been defeated on five other occasions.
On trying to address things, Amorim told Sky Sports: “It’s ups and downs. It’s a fight every day, with everything – with a lot of media! – then you have to cope with a lot of games.
“Then when you are in this club – in any club – but in this club, if you cannot push for a lot of wins in a row, you are always fighting. That can be exhausting not just for me, for everybody in the club, and for the players.
“We need to keep fighting and focus just on the small things, and for me the small thing is the next game.”
