Ruben Amorim says ‘no idea’ how long it takes to turn Man Utd around after defeat to Wolves | Football News happymamay

Ruben Amorim says he has “no idea” how long it will take to turn Manchester United’s fortunes around after his side suffered a fourth defeat in five Premier League matches at Wolves.

After a chaotic Carabao Cup quarter-final exit to Tottenham last week, made worse by an Old Trafford humiliation at the hands of Bournemouth, things took a turn for the worse as they suffered a third successive loss.

United captain Bruno Fernandes’ red card for a second booking changed the dynamics of the match shortly after half-time, with Matheus Cunha scoring direct from a corner kick at a see-saw Molineux Stadium.

The Wolves star set up substitute Hee Chan Hwang to seal a 2-0 stoppage-time win, as Amorim’s 10th game ended in a fifth defeat, leaving them 14th in the Premier League table.

“The idea takes time,” United’s coach said. “I told you guys before that this is going to be a difficult moment and we are far from the end of this moment and that’s it.

“We have to keep going and focus on the next match.”

Asked how long it would take to make his mark, Amorim said: “I have no idea. No idea. Instead of trying to understand how much time it will take, it’s just day by day.”

“Getting better, trying to watch the videos, making the most of every minute of training and trying to win some points because this is really important at this moment.”

United are closer on points to the relegation zone than the Champions League qualification spots ahead of a volatile 2024 final at home to in-form Newcastle.

“At this moment, we just have to survive and gain some time to work with the team,” Amorim said.

“We knew that already. You start this job and you start with the team, with a new idea, without any training time, with a lot of matches, difficult matches.

“We knew that already, so it’s a long journey, as I said on the first day. We have to keep going, we have to fight these bad moments because this is part of football.”

When he told Amorim he couldn’t think about qualifying for the European Championship at the moment, he said: “No. We have to work on a lot of things at our club – on the pitch, off the pitch – so let’s focus on every game, every time and every time.” Use every minute of training and match to improve the team.”

The painful statistics behind Amorim’s start as Manchester United coach

Manchester United have lost four of their last five Premier League matches, the same number of defeats they have lost in their previous 15 matches in the competition (winning seven and drawing four). In fact, only Everton and Southampton (both nine) have failed to score in more matches this season than in the seven they have played.

Amorim is the first Manchester United manager to lose as many as five of his first 10 matches as manager of the club in all competitions since Walter Kremer in January 1932 (6/10).

No team has conceded more goals from corner kicks in the Premier League this season than Manchester United (nine with Wolves). In fact, this is the second goal the Red Devils have conceded directly from a corner kick in the competition after Junior Stanislas for Bournemouth in December 2015.

Bruno Fernandes is the first Manchester United player to be sent off three times in a season in all competitions since Nemanja Vidic in the 2008-09 season (also three).

Manchester United look long term but issues need to be addressed now

Analysis from Adam Butt from Sky Sports at Molineux:

Bruno Fernandes’ red card was clearly an extenuating circumstance and there was enough tension inside Molineux to believe Manchester United might conjure up an equalizer until very late in the game. But the 2-0 defeat to Wolves was still worrying.

Another sloppy display, and another goal scored directly from a corner kick, let alone a free kick. Much of the focus at United is now on the long term, but that is something Amorim must address quickly to avoid this season going from bad to worse.

When asked how long it would take to implement his principles into play, Amorim indicated that he had no idea. In the match that started with the Portuguese coaches adopting a 3-4-2-1 formation, Wolverhampton players seemed more comfortable with this system.

Even when the game was 11 to 11, United lacked pace, moving the ball too slowly to take advantage of opponents who started the game in the bottom three. Amorim will be convinced more than ever that wholesale changes are needed for next season.

But next season looks a long way away if United continue to play like this. Newcastle’s next two matches are away against Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League and FA Cup respectively. This could get messier before it gets better.