Man Utd ‘seriously consider’ replacing Amorim with Spaniard after draw against West Ham
Man Utd are thinking about replacing under-pressure head coach Ruben Amorim with former Barcelona boss Xavi, according to reports.
The Red Devils looked to be heading in the right direction when they won three Premier League matches on the bounce in October.
However, Man Utd have won just one of their next five matches to revert to the inconsistent form which has plagued Amorim’s time in charge of the club.
Their 1-1 draw against West Ham on Thursday night means the Red Devils are currently eighth in the Premier League and a couple of points off fourth-placed Chelsea.
Man Utd are fortunate that, aside from Arsenal and Manchester City, there are few teams consistently winning matches with the Red Devils well in contention to get into the European places if they can turn around their form.
However, the pressure is back on Amorim again after recent results and Spanish website Fichajes insists that Man Utd and Premier League rivals Tottenham are ‘seriously considering hiring’ former Barcelona head coach Xavi.
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The report adds: ‘Although there has been no direct contact yet, both Manchester United and Tottenham are determined that if results do not improve soon, they will speak with Xavi Hernández
‘His profile is appealing because he offers a long-term project, an offensive approach, and a proposal centered around possession, qualities that fit well with what both clubs are looking for.’
Former Scotland international Craig Burley insists that Amorim has not yet shown he can improve Man Utd like Unai Emery and Enzo Maresca have taken Aston Villa and Chelsea to another level.
Speaking about their defeat to Everton and draw against West Ham in recent matches, Burley told ESPN: “If those results had gone their way, that would have been smoke and mirrors. Aston Villa have won something like eight in the trot, something like that.
“And they’ve got a really good manager, and they’ve got a good squad. Haven’t got the best squad, but they’ve really good man, they’ve got a top manager in Unai Emery, right? He’s flexible. He has a clear plan. If you don’t do what Unai Emery wants, then you’re not in the team.
“If United finish seventh or eighth or wherever it is around there, not many people are going to bat an eyelid. I mean, maybe the board will, but I’m just speaking from the perspective of people who understand the game, if they were to finish around that seventh or eighth position, we’d sit here and say, ‘yeah, yeah, I can see that. I can see that, because that’s kind of where they are.’
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“But my point is, that’s not good enough for a club of that size and a club that has spent that amount of money and a manager who’s been brought in to improve the team.
“We talk about improving a team. You talk about Unai Emery at Aston Villa. You talk about, although they had a bad result at Leeds, Enzo Maresca has certainly taken this Chelsea side to another level, whatever level that’s going to be at the end of it remains to be seen.
“But the way they played against Arsenal, they’ve shown they can play better football, and there are several managers like that within the league.
“Ruben Amorim has yet to show, if we’re being honest about it, he has yet to show that he’s got the ability to take United to another level, the level that they need to be back in amongst the elite. And so that, for me, that piles a lot of pressure onto the manager.”
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