Manchester United’s conflict in opposition to Sunderland on Saturday marks Ruben Amorim’s fiftieth recreation in cost.
Nevertheless, some Purple Devils followers will level to a 38-year hoodoo as a purpose to be pessimistic a few much-needed constructive end result.
Amorim’s aspect go into the fixture on the again of a bleak 3-1 defeat away to Brentford.
The end result heaped much more stress on the embattled United boss, a lot so minority proprietor Sir Jim Ratcliffe is known to have made direct contact with former England boss Gareth Southgate in case a change is required.
Southgate is known to be one in all three choices on a shortlist ought to Ratcliffe really feel the necessity to put Amorim out of his distress.
Detrimental omen overshadowing Amorim’s fiftieth match in control of Manchester United
But Amorim might delay his Previous Trafford tenure with a win over fifth-placed Sunderland, who’ve tasted defeat simply as soon as from their first six league fixtures.
Sadly for the Portuguese boss, he solely has to take a look at his predecessors as a purpose to be involved about selecting up factors.
Of the 5 everlasting managers to have led United following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, none of them received their fiftieth recreation in cost throughout all competitions.
How did earlier United managers fare of their fiftieth recreation?
David Moyes, who had the unenviable activity of succeeding Ferguson, oversaw United’s 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich within the second leg of their Champions League tie in April 2014.
Louis van Gaal was launched as Moyes’ successor in the summertime following a profitable 2014 World Cup in control of the Netherlands.
Though the Dutchman went on to steer United for 103 video games, his fiftieth match on the helm led to a 2-1 loss to Swansea Metropolis, the identical opponent he confronted in his first fixture as Purple Devils boss.
Jose Mourinho took over from Van Gaal in Could 2016 and guided the Purple Devils to a Carabao Cup and a Europa League trophy throughout his 144 video games in cost.
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Though he fared barely higher than Moyes and Van Gaal, Mourinho’s fiftieth match as United boss didn’t finish with a victory because the Purple Devils endured a 1-1 draw at dwelling to Everton.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag additionally couldn’t take pleasure in victories of their respective fiftieth video games on the helm.
Solskjaer’s milestone match ended with a 2-2 draw in opposition to Aston Villa in December 2019 whereas Ten Hag oversaw the very same rating however in opposition to Sevilla within the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final conflict on April 13, 2023.
It means Ferguson was the final Purple Devils supervisor to have received his fiftieth match in cost, which was again in November 1987 and got here courtesy of a 2-1 win over Bury within the League Cup.
What’s Amorim’s Manchester United file up to now?
Amorim can ill-afford so as to add his identify to the grisly listing of his predecessors to haven’t received their fiftieth match as United supervisor.
Going into Saturday’s fixture in opposition to Sunderland, Amorim has received simply 19 matches, drawn 9 and misplaced 21 of his 49 on the helm.
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His Premier League file makes for even worse studying, having received solely 9 of the 33 league fixtures he has overseen.
Amorim additionally faces an uphill battle to comply with the lead of Van Gaal, Mourinho and Ten Hag, who all received trophies throughout their stints at Previous Trafford.
The previous Sporting boss got here agonisingly near steering United to silverware final time period, solely to fall brief within the Europa League ultimate as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat in opposition to Tottenham.
United additionally did not qualify for Europe this season, which means their solely reasonable probabilities for a trophy lay with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
However the Carabao Cup was chalked off as Amorim oversaw a humiliating exit by way of penalty shootout to League Two outfit Grimsby City.
