Manchester United chiefs continue to back Ruben Amorim despite poor start

Manchester United's senior leadership has continued to express confidence in manager Ruben Amorim despite a damaging 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City and a faltering start to the season, the Manchester Evening News reported Monday.

The result at the Etihad left United languishing in the lower reaches of the early Premier League table and intensified scrutiny of Amorim, who is about 10 months into the job. A source close to the Portuguese told the MEN it was "incredible" he remained secure given the record accumulated during his tenure.

Erling Haaland scored twice and Phil Foden added a goal as City restored momentum in the derby. Amorim said afterwards he would not abandon his preferred 3-4-3 system and placed responsibility for the result squarely on himself. "I won't change my philosophy," he said. "If they [United chiefs] want it changed, you change the man. I am not going to change my philosophy. I will play my way until I want to change."

The defeat was United's 16th in 31 Premier League matches under Amorim, a sequence that has yielded 31 points and left the club's long-term record under scrutiny. Television pundit and former United captain Gary Neville warned that the manager would be "in trouble" if poor results persisted into October.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club's majority investor, was visibly tense in the stands during the match, the MEN reported. Despite that concern, United's board are understood to be reluctant to make an immediate change, citing the scale of investment in the squad and the shortness of the current campaign's sample size.

Amorim acknowledged the pressure but defended the work being done behind the scenes. "I didn't see one player in my team not giving the maximum. The rest is with me," he said. "It's my fault, not their fault, and I am fine with that."

United sanctioned approximately £236 million in summer spending, with arrivals including Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, who have shown promising early form. By contrast, striker Benjamin Sesko, a reported £73.7 million signing, has struggled for influence; he had 20 touches and no involvement in the opposition box in the derby and is yet to score for the club.

Goalkeeping reinforcements have also failed to settle a long-running question at the club. New signing Senne Lammens started the season on the bench, with Altay Bayindir retained between the posts despite inconsistent displays.

Statistical models underline United's volatile position. Opta's projection engine assigned the club a 10.95 percent chance of relegation and just a 4.18 percent probability of qualifying for the Champions League, figures that illustrate both the team's inconsistency and the narrow margins in a compressed season.

Amorim's adherence to his tactical approach has been a recurring theme since his appointment. He has repeatedly resisted calls to alter his system, saying the club must back a long-term plan. Critics argue results must improve quickly to justify that commitment at a club with United's stature.

The next significant test arrives on Saturday, when United travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. A loss there would deepen the gap to the top of the table and further intensify debate about the manager's future, while a positive result could strengthen the board's resolve to continue backing Amorim through a difficult spell.

For now, according to the MEN and those close to the club, United's hierarchy are maintaining their stance, even as friends and observers express surprise that the Portuguese coach's position remains intact amid a run of disappointing results.