Former Chelsea and England winger Joe Cole has suggested that Manchester United “need a different direction” after their loss to Brentford in the Premier League.
The 3-1 defeat to the Bees was the latest loss of Amorim’s tenure, with the Portuguese yet to win back-to-back league games. He has earned just 34 points from 33 league matches since taking over in November 2024.
Reflecting on the result on TNT Sports, Cole said that United fans “need to lower their expectations”, before suggesting that both the club and Amorim could benefit from a change.
“There's something in the harmony of the whole club, the group. It’s the heaviest shirt in world football, because of how poor it’s been, and the history of the club, the expectations.
“The manager’s job first and foremost is to bring harmony and rejuvenate the culture. Whoever comes in has to fin a way to galvanise – first of all the players, we know there are some good players here – [but also] the club, the boards, the owner, the fans. “They need a different direction,” he added.
Presenter Lynsey Hipgrave asked Cole if he meant a change “in terms of the manager?”, with Cole replying: “Yeah, it is...you know I don't like saying that.
“But I think for him as well. He was the bright young spark. That's how high his stock was. He’s clearly a good manager as well, but the mix and the blend of the whole situation, I think it needs a culture change.
“They went with this fella and it doesn’t look like it’s working,” he added.
The result means Amorim has won just nine of his 33 league matches in charge of United, with the Portuguese lamenting “the crucial moments” in this weekend’s loss.
"Of course we want to win. We didn't control the game. We played the game of Brentford,” said Amorim in his post-match interview.
"We didn't play our game. We only had control for some moments. But it was more or less all the same. We need to play our games, not the opponents, but they were stronger on that."
On pressure on his job after another defeat, he added: "It is always the same to lose at this club, it hurts a lot. We need to think about the next one."
United sit in 13th ahead of the remaining fixtures with the potential to end the weekend in 17th, with their next match coming at home to Sunderland on Saturday, 4 October.
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