Be careful what you wish for, Ruben Amorim! Man Utd manager has taken Red Devils backwards and should be wary of telling Sir Jim Ratcliffe to be 'brave' this summer

While Amorim's predecessor Erik ten Hag often tried to insist that his side were unlucky and were the victim of too many injuries, Amorim has been happy to point out just how bad his team is. And while he could be cut some slack in the first few weeks, he has been in charge for almost six months now and has had one transfer window to try and improve matters. The team, however, are in an even worse state under his watch compared to when he found them.

Ten Hag was sacked with his side 14th in the Premier League table after taking just 11 points from nine matches. Amorim's United, meanwhile, are 16th in the table and have picked up only 24 points in his 25 games. Ten Hag left with an undoubtedly poor showing at the start of this season of eight goals scored and 11 conceded, a goal difference of minus three. But under Amorim, the goal difference now stands at minus 11, and that is after interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy had raised it back to zero.

Leaving aside United's Europa League exploits - something Amorim was keen to do on Sunday when he said "I'm not concerned by the final, it's by far the smallest problem in our club" - the team have gotten even worse. The coach has lost more than half of his league games, and more than half of those played at Old Trafford. He has only won six league games and in the last four months has failed to beat a team outside of the relegation zone.

Amorim has had more than enough time to turn United's league form around, and the success of two other coaches who took over Premier League clubs mid-season puts his results in Manchester to shame.

David Moyes has earned 25 points in 17 matches with Everton, taking them from 16th place and one point above the relegation zone on the day he was hired to 13th, 20 clear of the drop-zone. Vitor Pereira, meanwhile, has also had a big impact at Wolves, earning 32 points from 20 matches while winning a club-record six consecutive Premier League games, steering the team from the thick of the relegation battle to mid-table security.

Wolves and Everton were below United when Amorim became boss, but they are both now ahead of the Red Devils and look set to finish the season above them.

Amorim warned in his first press conference that he needed plenty of training sessions to implement his ideas whilst admitting that was limited due to the team being involved in European competition. And while United did get good results against Liverpool and Arsenal in January after an increased number of days between matches, more time on the training ground has not always led to positive outcomes.

When the coach had a nine-day gap between the FA Cup tie with Leicester City and the league game at Tottenham in February, it led to Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo suffering long-term injuries, while Toby Collyer and Manuel Ugarte also picked up minor knocks and Leny Yoro and Christian Eriksen fell ill and missed the trip to north London, where Amorim filled the bench with youngsters who at the time had no senior experience.

United fans will not be fooled by the idea that having a full pre-season will change everything. Indeed, Amorim's decision to send Antony and Rashford on loan in January seemed to indicate that he did not back himself to turn the pair's fortunes around with more time. Rather than extra training sessions, it seems that the only fix for United's malaise is to significantly re-shape the squad before next season. Or in Amorim's words, to be strong and brave in the summer.

United are expected to sign Wolves forward Matheus Cunha in the summer, and their budget will be further boosted if they beat Tottenham in the Europa League final and secure Champions League football, which in turn will raise the calibre of players they can attract. But a few new faces will still struggle to drag this team in the right direction. As Amorim was at pains to point out on Sunday, United need a brand new culture, one that does not accept losing at home to Wolves, Brighton, West Ham or Crystal Palace (and many more) lightly.

"For me, the biggest concern is that feeling that it's OK," he said after the West Ham defeat. "We cannot change our position so much so it's OK. 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. I'm talking about the culture in the club and the culture in the team. We will not have a next season like this if we start like this. If the feeling is still here we should give space to different persons."

Amorim's attempts to change the culture are not getting through, however. He smashed a television in the dressing room after the defeat to Brighton in January, the same day that he called his side the worst in Manchester United's history. The tough love has not had an impact and his angry outburst on Sunday was questioned by former Liverpool and England midfielder Danny Murphy.

"I am not a big fan of a manager continuously and consistently talking negatively about how bad things are," Murphy said on Match of the Day 2. "I'd like to hear a bit more solution-based answers, a bit more positivity, and thinking forward. I always felt that if the leader of a club is putting on a nice positive front and trying to be forthright and look forward, then it helped the players, rather than constant negativity."

And by tearing into his players so severely, Amorim is playing a dangerous game so close to the Europa League final. His diatribe risks hurting morale and harming the team's confidence ahead of that crucial game in Bilbao.

As much as the coach insists that winning the Europa League will not solve the club's problems, victory over Spurs would in fact have a massive impact. Returning to the Champions League is a game-changer financially but it is worth even more in terms of morale. Winning a major trophy would also be a sign that this group of players can achieve big things and would be the first step towards creating a culture of winning at Old Trafford once more.

It is also crucial to Amorim's future. United beating Barcelona to win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991 kick-started Ferguson's reign, and two years later they were Premier League champions. Jose Mourinho's Europa League win in 2017 did not start a dynasty in the same way, but it did lead to the team finishing second in the Premier League the following season and earning the best points total of the post-Ferguson era. And for all of the problems the Portuguese created, many United fans are still fond of him because he won trophies.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, by contrast, was scarred by the fact his side lost the 2020 Europa League final to Villarreal on penalties. The Norwegian delivered consistent results in the league, but was haunted by his failure to win silverware, despite reaching three semi-finals and one final. As the Norwegian told The Athletic of his time in charge: "Well, there’s something missing: a trophy. One penalty could have changed that and my time there would be viewed differently."

And if Amorim does not win the Europa League, then what else has he got to show from his six months in charge of United other than a spirited draw at Anfield, a shootout-win at Arsenal and a last-gasp victory in the Manchester derby? Roy Keane claimed last month after April's defeat at Newcastle that Amorim had under-estimated both the competitiveness of English football and over-estimated the quality of his own squad.

"I think the Premier League has caught this manager and his coaching staff out," he told Sky Sports. "I know people do their homework before they go to a club, but I think he's gone in there and been shocked at how bad this group of players are. They can't seem to cope with the demands, the physical side of the game, and the lack of goals is a huge problem. They are weak physically and emotionally."

One month on and little has changed. Having owned up to the mistake of keeping Ten Hag in charge on the strength of last May's FA Cup final win over Manchester City, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his fellow United directors should be wary of making the same error with Amorim and keeping the faith based on his success in the Europa League. Amorim, therefore, must be careful what he wishes for. Telling Ratcliffe to be "brave and strong in the summer" could result in him being the latest employee to be made redundant.