Jamie Carragher has warned that Man United manager Ruben Amorim risks suffering the same fate as Graham Potter after his unfortunate spell at Chelsea.
Amorim has made the worst start of any United manager in more than 100 years, losing five of his first eight league games in charge.
The Red Devils have failed to score in their last three games and ended 2024 with defeats against Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle to drop to 14th in the Premier League standings.
Amorim, who took over as head coach in November following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, now faces the daunting trip to Anfield rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
writing in his telegraph columnFormer Liverpool defender Carragher highlighted how Amorim had originally been reluctant to take the job during the season and instead wanted to oversee a summer rebuild.
Carragher warned that the former Sporting Lisbon manager’s start to life threatens to mirror Potter’s time at Chelsea after a “horrendous” run of five defeats in six games.
Jamie Carragher warned that Ruben Amorim risks mirroring Graham Potter’s time at Chelsea
Potter had been appointed by Chelsea in September 2022 but was sacked seven months later.
Carragher stated that Amorim’s reign appears to be making the situation worse.
Potter had been appointed in September 2022 following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel, but was sacked just seven months later and the Blues were languishing in 11th place after winning just 12 of his 31 games in charge.
“A big concern now as United head to Anfield is that Amorim’s arrival was supposed to echo that of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, both in terms of the time of the season at which he took over and the galvanizing impact on players. and fans,” Carragher wrote.
‘Today, Amorim’s reign has more in common with Graham Potter’s brief spell at Chelsea, where the situation was getting worse.
Carragher, however, highlighted a key difference between Amorim and Potter as they seek to improve an underperforming club.
He suggested that Amorim carries the “aura of a great manager” and gives confidence that he will be successful at Man United, while Potter did not seem suited to Chelsea’s culture.
“I was never convinced that English was suitable for Stamford Bridge,” Carragher wrote. “That was a hunch based on the club’s culture, where fans are used to seeing ready-made superstar coaches like Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.
It has always seemed to me that Chelsea need an extrovert to impose his authority with a great personality, even when speaking to the media. Potter is a different character.
‘Amorim, on the other hand, has the aura of a great coach. Unlike Erik ten Hag, he looks and sounds good. Listening to him gives you confidence that he knows exactly what he wants from his players and, given time and resources, he will achieve it.”
The former Liverpool defender believes Amorim can still avoid the same fate as Potter
He suggested that Potter was not suitable for the Chelsea job given the club’s previous managers.
Carragher believes Amorim has the “aura of a great coach” and believes he will be successful
Amorim, who has seen his team struggle to implement their 3-4-3 system to date, admitted he was “embarrassed” by his side’s results after the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday.
The 39-year-old had warned that Man United could be dragged into the relegation battle, with the club just seven points clear of the relegation zone.
‘It’s my fault too. I think the team is not improving. “He’s a little lost right now,” Amorim said.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to be manager of Manchester United and lose a lot of games. But we have to face difficult times in everyone’s lives.
‘That is very clear, so we have to fight. “It’s a really difficult time, one of the most difficult times in Manchester United’s history and we have to approach it honestly.”
Amorim has stuck to his system at Man United but admitted that a lack of time on the training ground has hampered his team.
‘You can’t go back. We have to keep pressing,’ he said. ‘We had four training (sessions) in total. I know what you are trying to achieve but it is very clear, I am here for my idea and I will continue with my idea until the end.
‘I change something tactically in each game. You (the media) focus on three defenders, I change something in each game. If I didn’t believe then I would change, I’m not stubborn, I just believe in something and persevere in it.’