Paul Ince questions ‘pathetic’ Man Utd under Ruben Amorim: ‘Jury is still out’

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince (Picture: Getty)

Paul Ince fears Manchester United could be in for plenty more years of misery after their concerning start under Ruben Amorim.

Despite insisting there would be no quick fixes upon his arrival, the manner of United’s performances under Amorim would concern even the most ardent of optimists.

Seven wins in 27 Premier League games under the Portuguese coach saw the Red Devils finish a lowly 15th in the table, while United also wished away their only hope of silverware and a return to the Champions League with defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final.

Amorim, himself, has fronted up to his poor start in the United dugout, even suggesting he would walk away ‘without compensation’ if the board decided to change manager.

And while the club appear to have no intention of sacking the 40-year-old this early into his spell at Old Trafford, former United midfielder Ince believes the current malaise is particularly hard to stomach.

‘It’s been disappointing and you can’t get away from that,’ Ince told Metro ahead of his appearance at bet365’s Big Ticket Giveaway on Friday.

‘But the position that they’re in six months into Ruben Amorim is food for thought and concern. I know he hasn’t got the personnel that he wants in the team but also, I’ve not been convinced about the style and formation that he’s playing.

Ruben Amorim apologised on the pitch after United’s last game of the season (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s still Ten Hag’s team which was built for a different style, so now you’re seeing what happens when you play people out of position or in a system that many of them aren’t comfortable.

‘But my fear is whether he can make that formation work in any case. United have never played three at the back in their history, and apart from Inter, all the best teams in the world play with that back four. 

‘With a lot of that current squad, we’re not talking about bad players. Some of these players earn a lot of money, and regardless of the formation, they have to be playing at a level higher than they are right now. To be fifth from the bottom is absolutely disastrous. 

‘They put all their eggs in one basket in terms of winning the Europa League and that performance was absolutely pathetic. Fans can understand performances dropping in the weeks before the final, but you have to show up, and they were diabolical. So the jury still has to be out.’

‘United’s transfer record must be questioned’

Manuel Ugarte is one of several recent signings who have been called into question (Picture: Getty)

After a disappointing campaign, United have already turned their focus to their latest summer rebuild as Amorim looks to put his spin on the squad.

A deal for Matheus Cunha looks to be inching towards its conclusion, although United now look to have lost out on the race to sign in-demand Liam Delap, with the Ipswich Town forward appearing to have his eyes set on a move to Chelsea.

But Ince insisted that United’s higher-ups must also first learn from their recruitment failures in previous windows if they are to truly begin building a squad capable of competing at the right end of the table.

I’m hopeful Amorim gets time, but I’m not entirely sure what the vision is

‘There’s plenty of work to be done from Amorim but also from those above because the recruitment has been really poor,’ added Ince.

‘Even if you look at that final, Luke Shaw has barely been fit all season and he has to fill in at centre back, you have a player like Ugarte who you spent £50m on and he doesn’t even start in the final.

‘What has happened to Mainoo? A guy who was a world-beater last year and in the England side and now can’t get a game. So these are the questions that need to be asked over the next three or four months. 

‘I look at other players and think, why weren’t United in the race for them? Declan Rice, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister – these types of players.

‘And conversely, no one seems to be challenging United for the players they want to buy, so that makes you think about the quality they’re bringing in and the recruitment strategy. 

‘They’ve got new people in and so you hope it’s going to change but you don’t always get time. I’m hopeful Amorim gets time, but I’m not entirely sure what the vision is and if the formation works.’

‘This team needs more characters for the dressing room’

Paul Ince was speaking ahead of bet365’s Big Ticket Giveaway (Picture: bet365)

With a lack of European football next season, United may be forced to cash in on sellable assets to help raise funds for their latest transfer rebuild.

Academy graduate Alejandro Garnacho looks set to leave after a falling out with Amorim, while club captain Bruno Fernandes could also be sold amid interest from Saudi Arabia.

But Ince strongly urged his former club against parting ways with their captain, and instead said the club needs to focus on bringing in more leaders to support a young and under-pressure dressing room.

‘I don’t see where he leaders are at Man United,’ Ince said. ‘Fernandes is there and (Harry) Maguire has a bit of character, but the rest of them it feels like get swallowed up if things get bad.

‘That’s not being disrespectful because Man United does that to a lot of players. It demands so much and not everyone can deal with the enormity of playing for a club like that.

‘It’s not just the fans in the ground, but around the world, the front and the back pages of the media and some players can’t deal with that. A lot of this squad look that way. 

‘When I first joined, we finished 13th in the league, but we had Steve Bruce and Bryan Robson and Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona – those characters that kept us together and rallied us when things weren’t going well.

‘When things don’t go well at the minute, you can see it affects everybody from their body language and it’s not good. So can you bring in one or two characters to lift them because they are a lot of young players.

‘You see (Scott) McTominay go off to Napoli and win the league, Antony go to Betis and he’s flying, so the talent is clearly in there but it’s about bringing that out of the group.’

Ince continued: ‘The fans have been patient but maybe that’s because they’ve seen what has gone on and the lack of progress over the last seven or eight years.

‘Five or six years ago, the question was how long it would take to catch back up with City and Liverpool. Now you’ve got Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Brighton – all these teams who have grown and got bigger and stronger, while United have stood still and stagnated.

‘So they’ve got a lot of catching up to do, and it’s going to take a heck of a lot longer than many people are expecting.’

Paul Ince was speaking on behalf of bet365, the official global partner of the UEFA Champions League, which is hosting its Big Ticket Giveaway Game this Friday 30th May in Munich from 4pm, where fans have the chance to win tickets to the UEFA Champions League final. Full Terms and Conditions apply. Gamble Responsibly. Full interview can be found at bet365 News.

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