Ruben Amorim was far from happy with Manchester United’s performance against West Ham.
Just days after reaching the Europa League final, Manchester United lost 2-0 to West Ham in the Premier League, meaning they stay stuck in 16th place.
Amorim has explained United’s poor league form compared to the results in Europe, and Sunday’s result means the Red Devils have now gone seven straight league games without a win.
Amorim’s mentality has been questioned when it comes to league games, with the United boss making it no secret that he is prioritising the Europa League this season.
But after the defeat to the Hammers, Ruben Amorim did not hold back on his assessment of the performance.
Ruben Amorim and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer share Man United complaint
Despite dominating possession against West Ham, United were toothless for much of the match and lacked cutting edge.
Amorim did see positives against West Ham, but he also warned his players that there are big attitude issues that need to be addressed.
As quoted by Sky Sports, Amorim complained that there is a “lack of urgency in everything we do”.
“That is the biggest problem in our club in this moment because we are losing the feeling of we are a massive club and it’s the end of the world to lose a game at home. I think that is the biggest concern in our club.”
Six years ago, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had an identical complaint about his players’ attitude.
In December 2019, United suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at Watford and Solskjaer made the same accusation to his players at the time.
As per The Guardian, Solskjaer made the same three-word complaint about a “lack of urgency”.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Solskjaer. “You have to come to these stadiums and get more points, but there was no intent or urgency to make us win this game.
“The first half it could easily have been my testimonial. It was very subdued, slow, no tempo, and in the end we gave them two goals.”
Ruben Amorim can do what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer couldn’t at Man United
Solskjaer was sacked by United in 2021 just a few months after his side fell short in the Europa League final.
United lost to Villarreal in the final via a penalty shootout, meaning Solskjaer left Old Trafford without lifting a trophy.
Since then, Solskjaer admitted to making mistakes in the final, and that is precisely what Amorim will hope to avoid later this month.
After a 4-1 victory over Athletic Club last week, United have booked their spot in another Europa League final – four years later.
READ MORE: ‘To be honest’… Ruben Amorim makes eye-opening Europa League final admission after West Ham loss
Now, Amorim has the opportunity to do what Solskjaer couldn’t, and considering that United are currently 16th in the Premier League table, he is under even more pressure to lift the trophy.
Amorim has openly admitted he could be sacked next season if United’s form doesn’t turn around. Defeat in Bilbao will mean he starts the 2025/26 season with huge question marks lurking over him.
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