Amorim not concerned about Manchester United future after Brentford defeat

Manchester United were beaten 3-1 at Brentford on Saturday, a result that reinforced a pattern of inconsistency under Ruben Amorim and left the club in the bottom half of the Premier League with a season-long refrain of unfulfilled progress. A week after a Chelsea victory had offered a spark of optimism, United faltered in west London as Brentford capitalised on an unsettled first half and a lack of bite in attack.

Amorim said he is 'never concerned about my job - I am not that kind of guy', and that the decision about his future is not his to make. 'It is not my decision. I will do the best I can every minute I am here.' After another tough result, he added that United officials have shown support, but days like this intensify the inquest into what needs to change. The manager’s stance comes as the club and supporters await definitive signs of progress following last season’s 15th-place finish and a ride that has failed to produce back-to-back wins for long stretches.

United have 34 points from 33 league games under Amorim and have yet to win consecutive matches in the top flight. Their away form has been particularly problematic, and the Brentford result extended an eight-game winless run on the road in the league. In the longer arc of Amorim’s tenure, the club has repeatedly fallen behind and struggled to convert control into sustained pressure, a dynamic that remains at the heart of the scrutiny surrounding his stewardship.

Brentford struck early, with United failing to quell threats on the transition and in midfield. The first goal arrived when Harry Maguire attempted to drop offside but found himself a yard higher than the halfway line, letting Brentford pounce. The second came from Brentford’s Igor Thiago, capitalising on space on the right after Kevin Schade delivered a low cross that goalkeeper Altay Bayindir could only push into danger. Thiago pounced again to put the hosts up by two, and United never recovered the equilibrium needed to threaten a comeback.

Bruno Fernandes then missed a penalty for the second time this season, a moment that underscored United’s inability to capitalise on chances and to alter the momentum once the game had slipped away. Amorim described the work done in training to prepare for Brentford’s plan—flooding the midfield to create overloads and aim long balls behind United’s wide central defenders—but admitted the execution did not match the preparation. 'The goals today, we worked on during the week,' he said. 'That is frustrating. I see the guys in training. I feel sometimes in the games, when things are really hard, they are not the same. But that is the pressure of the club.'

Since Amorim’s tenure began last November, no team has conceded the first goal in more league games than United, a statistic that has become a talking point for critics arguing that the team struggles to set the tempo and dictate terms from the outset. The tactical debate around Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system has intensified in the aftermath of the Brentford defeat, with supporters and pundits alike weighing the merits of sticking with the setup or embracing a switch to a back four, as Brentford did with success in a later matchup analysis.

The post-match commentary reflected a broader debate about Amorim’s approach. Ashley Williams, speaking for BBC Final Score, said, 'I don’t want to say they change manager, but how long can this continue? It seems to be every week that we’re talking about it. I’m a fan of managers who have a style and stick to it. That isn’t working. You have to adapt.' Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown added his own harsh appraisal: 'They don’t look good enough. You then look at it and he only has a win percentage 1% more than Graham Potter, who has been sacked. How is he still in the job?' Micah Richards, analysing the game for Match of the Day, offered a blunt assessment: 'Amorim being so stubborn in what he’s trying to do could be the undoing of him down the line.'

Amorim, for his part, attempted to mount a fair defense of his methods and a reminder that results can shift quickly in football, even if the framework around the team remains under scrutiny. 'When we win, it’s not the system. When we lose, it’s the system. I understand that,' he said. 'It’s more that we play this game the way Brentford wants to play it.' He maintained that the team’s performance contained moments of quality that, if consolidated, could yield a different outcome in upcoming fixtures. 'We win, we feel momentum,' he added, acknowledging that the path back to consistent top-flight form requires more than sporadic improvement.

The wider context remains fraught for United. The club’s ownership and leadership say they support Amorim, but the combination of a losing run, an inward struggle to translate training-ground plans into consistent displays, and questions about the squad’s depth have intensified the ongoing dialogue about whether a strategic shift—whether in personnel, formation, or approach—will be necessary to arrest the decline and restore a pathway toward the Champions League places. With no midweek fixtures to provide a break and no immediate change of personnel on the horizon, the coming weeks will likely be marked by renewed talk, mixed performances, and continued evaluation of Amorim’s ability to steer the club out of a season that has repeatedly fallen short of expectations.