When he arrived at Old Trafford in November last year, coach Ruben Amorim said he was leading one of the biggest clubs in the world. But now, having seen the backstage at Old Trafford, perhaps Amorim's thinking will be different.
Only Amorim knows the real motivation when he described his team as the worst team in Man United's history after a 1-3 home loss to Brighton. This was the Red Devils' sixth defeat in 12 games, and their fourth home defeat in five games. We have to go back to the 1893-1894 season to find a Man United side with a worse home record (losing 7/12 games).
Things are getting worse, this is the club's worst period since the Premier League began in 1992. It is true that Man United is no longer Man United. The club, which dominated the Premier League, winning 13 of its first 20 titles, has been in decline since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager in 2013.
If Amorim wants to find the root of his current problems, he needs to return to 2018. At that time, former Man United commercial director Ed Woodward publicly talked about the importance of a winning team at Old Trafford.
"Aerial achievements don't really have a meaningful impact on what we can do commercially," Woodward said at a conference with Man United investors.
In the same conference, Woodward bragged that Man United's YouTube channel had more subscribers than MLB's Dallas Cowboys and MLB's New York Yankees.
When a team's motto is not a victory, it is inevitable that they will slide down to mediocrity. That is why the "Red Devils" have reached what Amorim believes is the worst version since the relegation 51 years ago.
Strangely, Man United have been spending a lot of money since Woodward said that the team did not need to win to make money. Remember, only Chelsea have spent more than £1.02 billion on Man United since 2018. However, the lack of strategy, expertise and capability in senior positions has led to a series of mistakes in the transfer of the Old Trafford team.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS take over a struggling club to comply with the Premier League's profit-taking and sustainability (PSR) rules. In that context, they need to break up an unbalanced formation.
Man United's own mistakes - extending Erik ten Hag's contract and sacking him four months later - have exacerbated the problems. As for Amorim, up to now, things have not changed much.
Amorim has identified the problem and Man United need a large-scale overhaul. However, he needs INEOS to maintain their spirit and support by putting football first at Old Trafford.
