Gary Neville launched a destructive assessment of the first few months of the Ruben Amorim era in Manchester United after the most recent setback of the club.
The Red Devils were given a 2-0 defeat on Sunday by Crystal Palace in Old Trafford, who sent the club to a seventh Premier League defeat under Amorim.
United has now even lost five of their seven home competitions under Amorim, in a worrying form for the club.
The new head coach did not keep in bed for long with his new players, given a lack of training for the season and a limited tactical planning with the club in midweek action, and reports suggested that he had even fallen with Marcus Rashford.
The manager often suggested that he did not want players who would not give their 'maximum' after Rashford claimed that he was ready for a new challenge after he had been omitted from the Manchester Derby earlier in the season.
As such, in the midst of the scorching form of the club, Gary Neville has predicted that things will only go downhill for United before the end of the campaign, and indeed the current progression – or the lack thereof – can also be the plans of the following Hinder season.
“I thought it would be better if Ruben came in Amorim, he said at the Gary Neville Podcast. 'I thought the enthusiasm and the new system, I thought they would buy the players in it, and we would see a leap.
“We have seen the absolute opposite. It is a lot worse and that is surprising. '
He continued: 'But there will be much more pain against the end of the season and it will be harmful.
'They remain clearly with Ruben Amorim, but the more you lose, the harder it is to convince the players of the idea. The idea he spoke about in the early days.
'You need the players to buy in, but if they lose with it, and they are always criticized, the spotlights come more on them and the fans remain unhappy.
“You can't keep losing. It will suppress the thoughts of the players, to the point that they will lose confidence with the idea.
'It will damage the start of next season. He has to do something. He cannot change his approach because he died in a ditch. And rightly so. I think he has lost more matches at Manchester United since he came than he lost in the last 75 at Sporting.
A lot has been made of the Portuguese head coach's preference 3-4-2-1 system that brought great success at Sporting Clube de Portugal, and how it would go under rigorous tests in the Premier League.
Results only would suggest so far that it is not going to plan for Amorim, although it is worth pointing out that he has largely been unable to make additions to his side to make staff better suited for his tactical plan.
However, as Neville notes, he must now try to adapt to the players he has in an attempt to get the best out of them if he wants to have a chance to save United's season.
“He won't enjoy this, but I think he should simplify it. He might not like it [Rasmus] Hojlund, he may not think [Joshua] Zirkzee is great or may not love other players. He must choose the players he has and to stay with them.
'It can't go on because they have to start playing in one way or another, but where does it come from? But at the moment I have to say that it is a regrettable situation, a very regrettable situation when United plays. '
United brought Patrick Dorgu, the deal that was completed this weekend, to reinforce Amorim's ranks at the left wing.
With Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw who struggle for persistent fitness, the first to be on loan on PSV Eindhoven, the Red Devils were thin in the ranks to the left of the defense.
Wing Back, however, as Neville adds, is a specialized position that requires both attacking and defensive competence, and as such the acquisition of the Danish international of Lecce should be an important boost for Amorim.
Although things are not swimming in the competition – United is currently 13th with only eight victories of 24 after the results of the weekend – Amorim can at least take the performances of the versions in the Europa League.
The Red Devils automatically qualified for the round of 16 after the end in the top eight, who will buy the head coach of invaluable time on the training pitch with his side to continue his tactical plans.
Similarly, United has a strong chance of going deep into the FA Cup – of which they are the holders after the victory of Ten Hag over Man City in Wembley last summer.
They will take relegation-threatened Leicester on Friday in the fourth round and will be confident in progression.
There are also some positive points in his team, where Harry Maguire plays himself in shape after a heavy few seasons under ten hag, and Amad Diallo is rising as a real promise.
In the middle of the season, a team in such a disorder in the middle of the season would always be a big assignment for Amorim, especially with its own desired playing style, so at odds with the previous system.
The transfer window in the summer will play a crucial role in defining the success of the next campaign for Amorim, although he will probably look the most to the preseason if he has committed a whole month to let his team shoot all cylinders And really understand his tactical ethos.
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