Monday night’s 1-0 defeat to Everton marked one year since Ruben Amorim took charge of his first competitive fixture at Manchester United.
Defeat to the Toffees left a rather sour taste in the mouths of the Old Trafford faithful on a night which many were expecting to be a sweet one, especially after the visitors had been reduced to ten men early on.
Inevitably, the frustrating performance has again raised questions about the Portuguese tactician’s suitability for the club.
But this is par for the course in this day and age, as many voices regularly chime in with ample knee-jerk reactions whenever the red juggernaut drops points.
After his opening fixture last November, a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town at Portman Road, Amorim stated, “We are going to suffer for an extended period. We will try to win games, but this will take time.
“We have to risk it a little bit, and in the next year we will be better; otherwise, next year at the same stage we will be here with the same problems.”
It was a candid assessment from the former Sporting boss, and after a rocky 12-month period, I believe we are now finally starting to see his words ring true.
Progress at Manchester United is far from linear
It was always going to be a bumpy ride for the 40-year-old head coach, and taking charge of a side that had steadily regressed under his predecessor, Erik ten Hag, was never an easy prospect.
Trying to turn the tide and rebuild a team low on confidence was one thing; attempting to resurrect them in his own image was another.
In hindsight, it has proven to be a key decision by United’s hierarchy to bring in the ex-Braga manager mid-season rather than wait until the summer, as he had initially requested.
Recruitment has helped, and this department has improved dramatically under the new regime, with the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens all having a positive impact thus far.
Naturally, with certain limitations still in place within the squad, the enforced absences of both Cunha and Sesko were keenly felt on Monday evening as the Red Devils laboured against their Merseyside counterparts despite their numerical advantage.
Defeat felt like a major kick in the gut, but there is a bigger picture worth noting; the 20-time English champions had been on a 5-game unbeaten run, Amorim’s best spell since his arrival, and looked a far superior side to at any stage last term.
Physically, they had been looking more assertive and confident in this intricate 3-4-2-1 system. They were competing with and beating the likes of Liverpool, Brighton, Sunderland and Chelsea, which is progress in itself.
The 1-0 reversal against David Moyes’s men was hard to take, but we have seen enough evidence this season to suggest United can bounce back.
Sitting in the ground on a crisp Mancunian night, I felt a sense of support behind both the manager and the team, long after the final whistle had sounded.
Key positions must be addressed before we can make any damning assessments
Whilst the summer window proved to be a positive one for United, it was never going to be enough to cover all bases. Plenty of work remains to provide the Lisbon native with all of the tools he needs to take this team to the next level.
There are obvious areas, such as central midfield and wing-back, that need to be adequately reinforced to stand the best chance of moving up the league, so it will be intriguing to see whether the decision-makers see fit to bring fresh blood into the squad during the upcoming January transfer window.
A higher-quality player with a better understanding of the system, in certain positions, would be massive for this team and could be a game-changer for Amorim and his reign.
The cultural reset the club has undergone is not an overnight fix, either, so this is another major factor to bear in mind when judging the modern-day United.
So, progress has undoubtedly been slow under Amorim, and it has definitely not been linear.
Nonetheless, it exists, and it is there for all to see; and despite the inevitable blips on the pitch, I believe that we are now witnessing a side at the very bottom of an upward curve.
For now, strap yourselves in and see if the team can get back to winning ways at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Are you confident Manchester United are heading in the right direction under Amorim? Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
Photo by operations@newsimages.co.uk via depositphotos.com.
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