Ruben Amorim says he has “no idea” how long it will take to turn around Manchester United's fortunes after his side suffered a fourth defeat in five Premier League games at Wolves.
After Tottenham's chaotic Carabao Cup quarter-final last week was compounded by a humiliation at Old Trafford by Bournemouth, things went even further as they lost for the third time in a row.
United captain Bruno Fernandes' red card for a second booking changed the dynamic of the match shortly after half-time, with Matheus Cunha scoring straight from a corner at rocking Molineux.
The Wolves star beat substitute Hee-Chan Hwang to seal a 2-0 win deep into stoppage time as Amorim's tenth game in charge ended in a fifth defeat, leaving them 14th in the Premier League.
“The idea takes time,” said United's head coach. “I've said it to you before: this is going to be a difficult moment and we are far from the end of this moment and that's all.
“We have to keep going and focus on the next game.”
Asked how long he thinks it will take to make his mark, Amorim said: “I have no idea. No idea. Instead of trying to understand how much time it will take, just day by day.
“Improve, try to see the videos, use every minute of training and try to win some points because that is very important at the moment.”
United are closer to the drop zone on points than the Champions League places heading into their final game of a chaotic 2024 at home to in-form Newcastle.
“Right now we just have to survive and gain some time to work on the team,” Amorim said.
“We already knew it. I start this job and you start with the team, a new idea, without time to train, with many competitions, tough competitions.
“We already knew it, so it's a long journey, as I said on the first day. We have to keep going and we have to fight these bad moments because this is part of football.”
Telling Amorim that he cannot think about a European qualification at the moment, he said: “No. We have to work on a lot of things in our club – on the pitch, off the pitch – so let's focus on every match, every time. use every minute of training and competition to improve the team.”
The damning stats behind Amorim's start as Man Utd boss
Manchester United have lost four of their last five Premier League games, the same number of defeats as in their previous 15 games in the competition (seven wins, four draws). Only Everton and Southampton (both nine) have failed to score in more different games than their seven this season.
Amorim is the first Manchester United manager to lose as many as five of his first ten games in charge of the club in all competitions since Walter Crickmer in January 1932 (six/10).
No team has conceded more goals from corners in the Premier League this season than Manchester United (nine – equal to Wolves). It is indeed the second goal that the Red Devils have conceded directly from a corner in the competition, after Junior Stanislas for Bournemouth in December 2015.
Bruno Fernandes has become the first Manchester United player to be sent off three times in a season in all competitions since Nemanja Vidic in 2008-09 (also three).
Man Utd is looking at the long term, but the issues need to be addressed now
Analysis from Sky Sports' Adam Bate at Molineux:
The red card to Bruno Fernandes obviously provided mitigating circumstances and there was enough tension within Molineux to believe that Manchester United could conjure up an equalizer until very late in the match. But the 2-0 defeat to Wolves was still alarming.
Another stuttering display, another goal scored straight from a corner, let alone from a set piece. Much of the focus at United now is on the long term, but that is something Amorim must address quickly to prevent this season from going from bad to worse.
When asked how long it would take for his playing principles to take hold, Amorim said he had no idea. In a match that started with both Portuguese coaches adopting a 3-4-2-1 formation, it was the Wolves players who seemed more comfortable with that system.
Even when the match was 11 versus 11, United lacked zip, moving the ball far too slowly to take advantage of opponents who started the match in the bottom three. Amorim will be more convinced than ever that big changes are needed for next season.
But next season still seems far away if United continues to play like this. Newcastle's next matches are against Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League and FA Cup respectively. This could get messier before it gets better.
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