Amorim's Reckoning
The Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim seems to be backing away from some of his earlier decisions to marginalize certain players, hoping to stabilize a precarious start to the season. After a summer window that saw exits from the squad, he now signals a willingness to reassess those choices in pursuit of balance and competition for places.
Manchester United officially bid farewell to players who had fallen from the plans, including Jadon Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho, as the club reshaped its roster. Sancho headed to Aston Villa on loan after last season’s spell at Chelsea, while Rashford joined Barcelona on loan. Antony and Garnacho left on permanent deals to Real Betis and Chelsea respectively.
Tyrell Malacia, the Dutch left-back, could not secure a move elsewhere and remained at Old Trafford, training away from the first team throughout the summer. Amorim even kept him out of the United States tour as the market paused and talks stalled.
Malacia’s path was further complicated when a potential loan to Elche in Spain fell through before the deadline. A move to Turkey also remained unrealized as the window closed on September 12, and for a while the defender trained separately before joining the reserve squad under-21s.
According to the British press, notably The Daily Mail, Amorim decided to reintegrate Malacia with the first-team group because the club could not find a suitable buyer, a decision echoing a broader attempt to salvage something from the season’s early chaos.
In August, Amorim had signaled that players in this situation were not ideal for the squad, but that the club would strive to accommodate everyone. He said that some players want to play for another club, and the team would arrange things to satisfy all parties. For him, the focus remains on the players who can shape the club’s future while others prepare for their next steps once the window closes and a page is turned. All possibilities remain open.
Since joining United in the summer of 2022 from Feyenoord for £14.6 million, Malacia has appeared in 39 matches across all competitions. He endured a lengthy spell out with knee cartilage damage that required surgery, followed by a second procedure that delayed rehabilitation. Last season he returned but featured only eight times for United before heading to Eindhoven on loan, where he played 12 games and helped secure the Dutch title with PSV Eindhoven.
There is a sense that a return to the fold could be a lifeline for both Malacia and United, with Amorim hoping to utilize the defender’s qualities when needed. The manager insists that his playing style is not to blame for the downturn in results, though some matches suggest otherwise. Errors from set-pieces, defensive lapses, and moments of individual misjudgment have punctuated the campaign, illustrating that the problem is not purely tactical but also a matter of execution and consistency.
Amorim has acknowledged the pressure of the club’s environment, stating that the team has worked on finishing and that players sometimes appear not to be on the same level during matches. His main objective remains helping players cope with the pressure and convert training into consistent performances, an area in which the results have yet to meet expectations.
Defeats such as the loss to Brentford have revealed the extent of the slump. After nearly a year in charge, United sit on 34 points from 33 league games, around 1.03 points per game. That pace would realistically yield roughly 39 points in a full season, a figure that would have been enough to condemn teams like Blackpool and Birmingham to relegation in 2010/11, a season in which United still claimed the title.
The narrative now includes a tinge of irony: rather than a triumphant turnaround song, fans of Manchester City have teased that the Reds might even “go down,” a chant sung after City’s 5-1 victory over Burnley. If changes do not come swiftly, that taunt could drift toward a painful reality for United.
Potential turning point
In this moment of flux, Amori m’s plan to reintegrate Malacia could prove pivotal, offering a spark that steadies the defense and lends balance to the team’s dynamics. Whether this will be enough to arrest United’s decline remains one of football’s great uncertainties, but the clock is ticking as the calendar moves toward decisive fixtures.
Punchline 1: If Amorim actually saves United this season, the club will deserve a statue—and perhaps a detector for hidden passports to keep players from vanishing on international duty mid-season.
Punchline 2: And if the season keeps sinking, maybe United will need a compass and a megaphone—because clearly the ship is heading somewhere, just not toward the trophy shelf.
