Former Manchester United star Gary Pallister believes the club must ‘grin and bear’ the current situation under manager Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils’ disappointing 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday triggered a widespread debate about Amorim’s future at the club.
Pundits and fans have questioned the wisdom of Amorim’s unwillingness to deviate from his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation.
United’s tactical system unravelled after a relatively promising start at the Etihad Stadium, and City ruthlessly exposed the weaknesses in Amorim’s set-up.
In an exclusive interview with ManUtdNews, courtesy of online betting site BetWright, Pallister said he does not think Amorim will stray from the pathway he has chosen.
“I think everybody’s struggling to come to terms with it,” Pallister said. “I admire him in a way. Other people may say it’s stubbornness, but he’s sticking to his guns.
“He thinks it’s the type of system that will bring him success, and he’s sticking with it, but I don’t know how long we can keep going on not looking good.
“I’d love to know what the thoughts of the players are – whether they feel that going to four at the back is preferable. But it doesn’t look like that will happen any time soon.”
Having gone into the new Premier League season with high hopes of enjoying a more productive campaign, United are already on the back foot.
They have collected just four points from their opening four games, sparking renewed debates about Amorim’s managerial ability.
Their current points tally is their poorest return at this stage of the season since 1992-93 under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Amorim’s 26 percent win record in the league is a significant concern, but he shows no signs of trying something different to shake things up a little.
The club backed Amorim during the summer transfer window, and Pallister believes they have no other option than to keep supporting him.
“They are going to have to grin and bear it for the time being because they have nowhere to turn to if they sack Amorim,” he added.
“I don’t want the club to be looking for a new manager at the moment. We’ve set our stall out to play his style of football, so changing tack now would be too soon.
“The club has made its bed, so we have to lie in it for a little bit longer and then hopefully he can turn things round.”
One of the biggest criticisms of Amorim’s tactical system is his insistence on playing Bruno Fernandes as one of two central midfielders.
He was paired with Manuel Ugarte in the centre of the park at the Etihad, but Man City’s stacked midfield unit overran them.
There have been calls for Amorim to move Fernandes into his preferred role as an advanced playmaker, and Pallister supports the idea.
He believes the Portuguese would help United get more out of striker Benjamin Sesko, who has failed to impress since joining the club this summer.
“We need to find some way of getting Fernandes to a place that he wants to be,” Pallister said. “He’s a terrific player and has been the shining light for several years now.
“Fernandes could help to get Sesko firing. He’s still learning the game over here, and I thought he looked a bit lost yesterday, which is understandable.
“He’s not had a great pre-season, and he’s come into a struggling team. Hopefully he can be the striker we’ve been looking for, but that’s not going to happen overnight.”
While there has been plenty of outside noise surrounding Amorim’s future at Old Trafford, the club are unlikely to pull the trigger just yet.
The lack of a viable replacement is likely to work in the manager’s favour, although he desperately needs to improve his win record.
A tally of eight wins and seven draws in 31 league games is undoubtedly a damning statistic for a manager who arrived at Old Trafford with a massive reputation.
However, the home game against Chelsea on Saturday provides Amorim with the opportunity to get United heading in the right direction again.
The Blues face a tricky Champions League fixture at Bayern Munich in midweek, and fatigue could impact their performance at Old Trafford.
Although Pallister thinks it would be foolish to get too carried away by the derby defeat, he says the fans are justified in feeling concerned.
“I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom, but the situation has got the fans worried at the moment,” he said. “Hopefully, things will pick up soon.”
