How does Ruben Amorim's record at Manchester United compare after 10 games with every manager after Ferguson

Robin Amorim is no stranger to difficult beginnings.

After losing his first two matches with Casa Pia in the Portuguese fourth division, the recently retired midfielder publicly announced that he would resign if he suffered a third successive defeat. They duly won 4-0.

Amorim has not given himself any warning yet – perhaps he should – but he has conceded five defeats in ten matches. It is a major concern. The latest brave soul to carry the poisoned chalice that is modern-day Manchester United follows in the footsteps of five managers who all ultimately failed to succeed the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

Here's how Amorim's record stacks up against his predecessors.

It all started well. It was the reign of Amorim 80 seconds old When Marcus Rashford put United ahead against Ipswich Town. However, the subsequent 89 minutes proved more prescient as the Red Devils barely tested the Tractor Boys after that and were better off. Lucky to get away with one point.

Before Rashford was banished from the first-team squad, the England international scored twice on Amorim's home Premier League debut in a 4-0 win over Everton. The Red Devils had beaten Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt three days earlier, but signs of United's struggles under their new Portuguese coach were evident even in these victories. As Amorim warned After his three-match unbeaten start: “The storm will come.”

The reigning FA Cup champions have struggled hard to create chances from open play. Since Amorim's appointment, United have amassed chances equal to a total of just 8.7 non-penalty chances, per Anderstadt – A trivial result, as it ranks 13th in the Premier League. There is a sharper form out of possession, but the Red Devils have become completely inept in set-piece situations.

Of the 19 goals conceded by Amorim, nine came from dead balls – and two were direct from corner kicks. A Boxing day defeat Against Wolverhampton Wanderers – inspired by Matheus Cunha's deliberate effort from the corner flag – it was United's third loss of the round and fifth of December. The storm has well and truly arrived.

Amorim's tally of five defeats in his first ten matches is not only the worst start of any of Ferguson's failed successors, but represents the most losses suffered in such a short period since Walter Kremer in January 1932.

However, the 39-year-old is not the first United manager to set unwanted pre-war records. Erik ten HagOld Trafford's debut ended in defeat by Brighton before suffering a… 4-0 dismantling away to Brentford In August 2022, he became the first United manager since John Chapman in 1921 to lose his first two matches.

Louis van Gaal He also endured a poor start to his United career – winning even fewer games than Amorim.

The Dutchman's inherently inflated ego, which was further inflated after his successful performance as coach of the Netherlands in the 2014 World Cup. World Cupwas punctured by a debut defeat to Swansea City. Following a 1-1 draw with Sunderland, Van Gaal was sent to a humiliating UEFA Cup exit at the hands of MK Dons, losing 4-0 to a Third Division club that had only been around for ten years at the time. Never one to admit defeat, Van Gaal insisted after the match: “I'm not shocked.” Everyone was.

Jose Mourinho He claimed a first trophy in what he shamelessly described as a treble on his Manchester United debut, lifting the Community Shield at the start of a season that would end with moderate League Cup glory and European League. The Portuguese coach won seven of his first 10 matches on either side of a three-game losing streak – Mourinho's longest losing streak in all competitions at the time since his days as Porto coach in the early 2000s.

While a bright blast from Ferguson's original successor, David Moyesquickly gave way to the mind-numbing mediocrity that has since become commonplace in the red half of Manchester, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Definitely enjoyed the best opening salvo.

A moving, fresh-faced reminiscence of the glory days, Solskjaer initially inspired an entertaining brand of counter-attacking football. Pure Nostalgia was a collection of endearing oddities that provided the perfect antidote to the final days of Mourinho's toxic reign in 2019.

Solskjaer was constantly smiling, moved Paul Pogba to number 10 and even refused to leave his car in Ferguson's old car park. While the tune of 'Ole on the wheel' echoed around Old Trafford, United recorded nine wins and 25 goals in the former striker's first ten games.

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