Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim believes the club are at one of their lowest moments in living memory, and the side face the prospect of entering 2025 in the bottom half of the Premier League.
The Red Devils have endured a horrid season on the pitch, with the club's latest 3-0 loss against Bournemouth last Sunday meaning that the club spent Christmas day in 13th place.
It was the first time since 1989-90 season that United had found themselves in the bottom half on December 25, and given Amorim is still having to use the squad he inherited from previous boss Erik ten Hag, it appears likely that the team will enter 2025 in a similar, if not worse, position.
United face a rejuvenated Wolverhampton Wanderers side on Boxing Day following their 3-0 victory against Leicester City in new manager Vitor Pereira's first game in charge.
The match could be a tricky encounter for the Red Devils, and Amorim expressed his view that there is no quick fix to the problems at United while insisting that everyone at the club needs to pull together, telling reporters: "This is maybe one of the lowest moments in our club so we have to face it and be strong in this moment. That's what I want from every player on the team."
The Portuguese manager demonstrated excellent coaching skills while in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon, toppling the dominance of Porto and Benfica, and it is clear that he will have to draw upon all of his experience in order to stop United's freefall this season.
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The stats that should worry Amorim
It is difficult to lay any blame on the Portuguese boss considering he only took over from Ten Hag in November, but his appointment has not exactly yielded improvement on the pitch.
The 39-year-old drew his first league game against Ipswich Town on November 24, and he has only won twice in his six top-flight matches as United manager, losing three times in that period.
Under Ten Hag, the Red Devils averaged 9.2 high turnovers, 187 pressures and 57 pressures in the final third per game, whereas they have averaged 5.3 high turnovers, 182 pressures and 44 pressures in the final third per game under Amorim.
Perhaps most alarming is the fact that the team are running less under Amorim, with the team having run 107km per match under the Portuguese, less than the 108.5km per match they ran when Erik ten Hag was boss.
While running more does not always equate to success, fans should be able to expect that players will at the very least work as hard as they possibly can.
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How low will United finish?
Sir Alex Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles while in the dugout at Old Trafford and never finished a Premier League season below third place.
Erik ten Hag took United to their lowest ever finish in Premier League history in 2023-24, with the side finishing in eighth place with 60 points.
The Red Devils finished sixth in 2021-22 with 58 points, their lowest ever total in the history of the Premier League, and their lowest since 1989-90.
United are currently on track to record just 49 points, the same number of points that Crystal Palace tallied in 2023-24 when they finished in 10th place.
Perhaps the only way that Amorim can avoid such a fate is by reinforcing the squad with additions in the January transfer window, but unless he is allocated funds for the winter period then it is entirely possible that United finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Lewis Nolan
