“They Don’t Have All the Information” – Amorim Pushes Back at United Legends
Ruben Amorim has accepted the heat coming from Manchester United’s most decorated alumni, but the Portuguese coach insists the loudest verdicts are being delivered without full context. Speaking amid mounting scrutiny, Amorim acknowledged underachievement while challenging former players to consider what they cannot see inside Old Trafford.
The criticism has been relentless and familiar. Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Roy Keane have all questioned Amorim’s suitability since his arrival in November 2024, with Scholes the most pointed, arguing the 40 year old is not the right man and does not understand the club. Amorim did not dispute the results. He disputed the framing.
“I think it’s normal,” Amorim said, addressing the chorus of punditry. “As a manager of Manchester United, we are underachieving. We should have more points, especially this season. I take that naturally. Sometimes they don’t have all the information. They see Manchester United with the standards they lived by here, always winning. It’s hard for them to see their club in this situation.”
That gap between past and present is the story. Amorim’s first year has been bruising by any measure. United has won 14 of 42 Premier League matches since his appointment, a return that places pressure not just on a manager but on a rebuild still finding its footing. The club’s expectations remain tethered to Sir Alex Ferguson’s era, when Scholes collected 11 league titles and success was the baseline, not the exception.
Scholes’ critiques have gone beyond results. He has targeted Amorim’s tactical preferences, most notably the switch to a back three, and raised concerns about the handling of academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo. Those points resonate with supporters who see identity and youth development as nonnegotiable at United. Amorim’s response was blunt and revealing.
“I think not winning is the issue,” he said. “You can point to a lot of things we need to improve. But the big issue is not winning. If I’m winning, I can go to the games on a horse, play with two defenders, and everything will be fine.”
It was a line delivered with self-awareness rather than defiance. Amorim did not absolve himself. “The problem is that I, as a manager, am not doing good enough. That is a fact and I can accept that,” he added. In one breath, he owned the table. In the next, he reframed the noise.
The implications are significant. United’s tactical evolution has been uneven, with a back three demanding profiles and automatisms the squad is still acquiring. Injuries, recruitment timing and the transition from a back four have all shaped performances that look disjointed in isolation. Former players judge what they see on match day. Coaches live the constraints between fixtures.
There is also a generational tension at play. Pundits who built their authority in an era of dominance now evaluate a club recalibrating its standards in real time. That does not make the criticism invalid. It does suggest it may be incomplete.
For fans, the stakes are clear. Results are the currency that settles arguments. Amorim knows it. His own words underline the point that philosophy only earns patience when points follow. Until then, the scrutiny will continue, sharpened by voices that once set the bar.
What comes next will decide whether this exchange becomes a footnote or a fault line. United’s fixtures offer opportunities to stabilize and climb, and with wins, narratives soften. Without them, the debate over fit, identity and leadership will only intensify. Amorim has accepted the verdict of the present. Now he needs the future to answer back.