'Anxious and afraid!' - Ruben Amorim reveals fragile state of Man Utd players and tells fans to accept that relegation battle is club's 'reality'

The United boss has suffered a tricky start to life in Manchester, winning just two games in the Premier League and is currently on a run of four consecutive losses in all competitions. There had been hope that an Amad Diallo-inspired victory over Manchester City would have started a miraculous turnaround under the Portuguese coach, but injuries and suspensions have halted consistency and form. As United travel to take on a Liverpool side that have lost just once in all competitions this season, Amorim admits his side are playing with fear.

Speaking ahead of the game, Amorim said: "They are anxious and sometimes they’re afraid on the pitch. So we have to cope with that, we need the leaders to step up, to help the other guys and I’m the most responsible person here to improve the performance.

“So you can see that the players are trying, sometimes they are too anxious, too afraid to play football because this is a difficult moment and I will help the players to be better.”

United's poor run of form has left them floundering in 14th, just seven points clear of the relegation zone. Amorim caused headlines previously when he stated that the club was in a relegation fight and he reaffirmed his belief again ahead of the clash at Anfield. He said: "I know that is a problem here to say that kind of thing, but I think it’s in this moment, in our club, everybody has to understand that.

“So, let’s focus on the reality. We know that we are Manchester United, I’m not supposed to talk about these things, but I want to be very clear with the fans and the players."

Should United lose and Ipswich and Wolves win their respective games against Fulham and Nottingham Forest, Amorim's side could be just five points from the drop.

While Liverpool have the chance to move eight points clear in the title race, the size of Amorim's task at United appears to grow with each day. The new boss at Old Trafford can only dream of a positive result at Anfield on Sunday afternoon and will be desperate that their success against Manchester City can be replicated against their other rivals in the north-west of England.