Manchester United are in the middle of their worst Premier League campaign, sitting in 14th place with only 38 points following last weekend’s 1-0 loss against Wolves. According to the Premier League 2025 odds, Manchester United are unlikely to make it to the Top 10 at the end of this term, but they will not be relegated.
This is not how Ruben Amorim envisioned his time at Old Trafford so far. However, the Portuguese coach has the buy-in of INEOS to see this through. Throughout his first few weeks, Amorim had already warned the fans about the challenges of bringing the club back to its former glory, and he was right.
This is a tough pill to swallow for SBOTOP football fans (like me) who watched Sir Alex Ferguson dominate the English top-flight, but there’s no better time to start a slow and painful rebuild than right now.
Amorim inherited a disjointed squad
Manchester United’s mess started when they decided to keep Erik ten Hag after he won the FA Cup last season. Before the final, there were murmurs about the Dutchman’s job security. Erik ten Hag naturally responded defiantly, and to his credit, he has delivered.
INEOS’ decision to keep ten Hag is good since they bought players fit to his system last offseason, such as bringing in Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, and Noussair Mazraoui. However, following the Red Devils’ 2-1 loss against West Ham United last October, INEOS sacked ten Hag and replaced him with Ruben Amorim from Sporting.
Amorim typically plays a 3-4-1-2 formation, and the players he inherited from ten Hag’s regime were awkward fits for his tactics. The team experienced the new manager bounce, but once it faded, more losses and draws continued.
Injuries to Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, and Amad Diallo certainly didn’t help. Meanwhile, players such as Rasmus Hojlund, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, and Diogo Dalot couldn’t find their form under Amorim. In hindsight, INEOS should’ve replaced ten Hag with Amorim during the summer instead of in the middle of the season.
Bruno Fernandes has been the team’s most consistent player. The Portuguese midfielder leads the Red Devils with eight league goals and nine assists while creating chance after chance for his misfiring teammates in the final third. If it weren’t for Fernandes, Manchester United would’ve been in the relegation zone.
Morale is low on and off the pitch
On top of Manchester United’s poor Premier League 2025 results, the team underwent a massive office overhaul. INEOS fired roughly 450 club employees since last year, while removing some of the current employees’ perks like free food, travel, accommodation, and tickets to games. Sir Jim Ratcliffe also terminated Sir Alex Ferguson’s global ambassadorial contract as part of their drastic cost-cutting measures that angered some of the club’s legends.
Meanwhile, INEOS also unveiled its plans to build a new £2 billion stadium, which could seat up to 100,000 supporters. Once it’s finished, the club will likely demolish Old Trafford – Manchester United’s home since 1910. Manchester United say the entire project has the potential to create 92,000 new jobs and will be worth an additional £7.3 billion per year to the UK economy.
INEOS is bearing the brunt of the criticism, but it’s not entirely their fault. If anything, the Glazers should be blamed for the club’s big mess because of their mismanagement since taking over via a leveraged buyout in 2005, as they drowned the club with roughly £1 billion in debt.
It’s Europa League or bust for Manchester United
Back to football, winning the Europa League is the only way for Manchester United to save their season, as doing so will guarantee European football (and additional income) next term. Ruben Amorim’s men are through to the semi-finals and will face Athletic Bilbao next.
Believe it or not, Manchester United are the only undefeated team in Europe this season, and they hope to keep it that way. Well, they almost dropped the ball against Lyon in the quarter-finals.
The Red Devils should’ve won the first leg in Lyon but were held to a 2-2 draw after Rayan C
herki’s late equaliser following Andre Onana’s failed clearout. Manchester United had a 2-0 lead in the second leg, but Lyon made it 4-2 late.
Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire saved the Red Devils from the jaws of defeat, and it was bedlam at Old Trafford. Fans hope to have a few more nights like these to have a renewed sense of optimism heading into the offseason.
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