Manchester United endured a disappointing 2024/25 season under Ruben Amorim as the Reds ended the season in 15th place and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
Ruben Amorim retained his place as United manager despite presiding over the club’s worst season in 51 years but the Portuguese has been warned he will be sacked if they get off to a rocky start next season.
Former United assistant coach Rene Meulensteen believes the United hierarchy will not stomach another bad start to the coming campaign.
Rene Meulensteen during alongside Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at Manchester United. (Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
“If Man Utd’s form continues – Amorim’s job will be on the line before Christmas,” Meulensteen said via InstantWithdrawalBettingSites .
“If things carry on into next season and getting towards Christmas, Ruben Amorim’s job will be on the line. The club hierarchy will have no choice but to discuss if he is the right man going forward after how badly last season went – that’s why a good start to the season is a must.”
Amorim has been rigid with his 3-4-2-1 formation and style of play, remarking on several occasions that he will not change his playing philosophy or stray from his principles.
Though many have claimed he needs his type of players to make things work, Meulensteen has not been impressed with the coach’s refusal to adapt to the strengths of his squad.
“Ruben Amorim not being adaptable is not clever – he needs to be flexible,” he added. “When you’re managing Manchester United the target should always be to win the title, but if Ruben Amorim said that now then people would think he is mad. If United somehow get to Christmas with only one or two draws and defeats then people might think the club are back, but I can’t see it happening because Amorim is stuck in his system and they are massively vulnerable.”
Meulensteen also said he would like United to get rid of Harry Maguire and Andre Onana as part of the squad overhaul that is set to take place this summer. “I think if United start the season with Andre Onana and Harry Maguire in defence then there will still be a lot of question marks in the unit and other teams will take advantage of that,” he said. “You can strengthen with Viktor Gyokeres, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo alongside Bruno Fernandes but the midfield and the defence will still be overrun.”
Meulensteen added that the team must aim to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League, which might be a tall order after finishing 15th last season.
He added: “The minimum has to be to get back into the Champions League, but Amorim has to be careful because not having an adaptable system is not a clever thing to do. You have to be flexible and be able to adapt when needed.”
Ruben Amorim and United players are currently on holiday but will soon converge to get ready for their pre-season game against Leeds on July 19 and their tour of the United States.
