Manchester United Players Back Ruben Amorim Despite Poor Start
Manchester United players have thrown their support behind under-pressure manager Ruben Amorim despite the club’s troubled start to the 2025/26 season.
Defender Matthijs de Ligt insisted the squad “stand behind” their beleaguered coach and accepted responsibility for United’s faltering form, which has left Amorim fighting to steady the ship.
Man United needed a dramatic stoppage-time penalty from captain Bruno Fernandes to edge newly promoted Burnley 3-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday, their first Premier League win in three matches. The victory came just days after a humiliating Carabao Cup second-round exit to League Two side Grimsby Town.
Amorim admitted after the shock defeat that he sometimes thinks about quitting and has at times been exasperated by his players. But with speculation over his future intensifying, De Ligt made clear the dressing room remains firmly behind him.
“Yeah, of course [we want him to stay],” De Ligt said. “As players, we are responsible for the results. People always talk about the manager, but after Grimsby, we looked each other in the eye and said the performance wasn’t acceptable. It would be wrong to blame him. We still stand behind him, and he stands behind us.”
The Dutchman, sporting a black eye from Wednesday’s bruising clash with Grimsby, admitted the players have not dwelled on that defeat because the disappointment still lingers.
United’s disjointed display against Burnley, marked by defensive lapses and more goalkeeping errors, did little to silence critics. However, Fernandes’ late heroics ensured Amorim avoided further scrutiny going into the international break.
The Portuguese coach now faces a defining run of fixtures, with United set to visit rivals Manchester City on September 14 before hosting in-form Chelsea six days later.
