Ruben Amorim told Manchester United star’s form is ‘unacceptable’

Ruben Amorim has been told the form of one of his key Manchester United players is ‘unacceptable’.

The problems are piling up for Amorim, who has endured a largely dismal first couple of months in the job since replacing Erik ten Hag in November.

Barring a few promising results – like the 2-2 draw with Liverpool and FA Cup win over Arsenal – Manchester United have got even worse under the 39-year-old, who left Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon to take over the beleaguered Premier League giants.

United have lost five of their last seven Premier League games to slip 14 points outside the Champions League spots and just ten points above the relegation zone.

The club’s latest defeat came at the hands of Brighton, who won at Old Trafford for the third time in a row on Sunday, winning 3-1.

Andre Onana made a howler during the humbling defeat and ex-Manchester United striker Louis Saha says the goalkeeper’s performances have been ‘unacceptable’.

United spent over £40m to sign Cameroon goalkeeper Onana from Inter Milan in 2023 but the Champions League finalist has blown hot and cold at Old Trafford, making several high-profile mistakes.

‘There is a need for every player at Manchester United – apart from Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo – to feel threatened with competition,’ Saha told Paddy Power.

‘No one has shown that they deserve anything in the next game. The manager can challenge and criticise them because it’s not good enough.

‘The backbone of this team, from the back four to the centre forwards, it’s so important that they don’t make mistakes.

‘Unless you can guarantee that you’re not going to make mistakes, you should not be considered as a guaranteed starter in any position. None of those players should be guaranteed anything.

‘If you don’t have a confident goalkeeper he has to be challenged. Those performances are unacceptable, it’s not normal!’

While Onana does not look like a long-term No. 1 for Manchester United, ex-England goalkeeper Joe Hart believes he has been ‘failed’ by his team-mates.

‘I feel for Andre Onana. He will be questioned, and they will be thinking about what’s best for the team moving forward,’ Hart told Stadium Astro.

‘But they did bring a goalkeeper in who’s very comfortable in playing out in the Ajax system. Under Erik ten Hag he was excellent. Inter Milan, a league winner, a Champions League finalist.

‘But he’s a system goalkeeper and he would have been assured by Ten Hag when he signed that when you play with me, you’re going to have at least three options and then the worst/best case will be that everyone will have a huge press and you’ll be able to drop it into the front man.

‘I’m not seeing a team in front of him who are making all the effort to play and to show for him. I’m seeing people’s backs. I’m not seeing the energy to get next to him to create the press.

‘The atmosphere in the stadium when he gets the ball at his feet is not confident and that’s not necessarily down to him, that’s down to the players around him.

‘He’s not been covering himself in glory, but I can see why he looks hesitant on the ball.’

When asked if the other United players had ‘failed’ Onana, Hart replied: ‘I think the whole team, the manager, everyone’s failing him.

‘If you want to be a team that plays out it needs to be 11 men, 12 including the coach, that want to play that way.

‘At the moment, I see a guy who wants to play football, puts his foot on the ball and when he did that at the other teams where he’s been successful, he’s had endless options.

‘At Manchester United, he’s just seen blind alleyways and ultimately having to lump it long. That’s not Manchester United, that’s not what they’re set up to do and that’s why the possession constantly gets turned over.

‘You could bring someone in but being a good goalkeeper who plays out from the back is not someone whose got all the passes. It’s being able to be part of a system. It’s more pressure on Amorim.’

Onana will hope to bounce back from his Brighton blunder on Thursday night when Manchester United face Rangers in the Europa League.

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