Everything we saw from Ruben Amorim vs Grimsby suggests the Man United coach is already unravelling
Manchester United slumped to a new low against League Two Grimsby Town as they were dumped out of the League Cup.
Samuel joined the Manchester Evening News in 2014 and is the Chief Manchester United writer. He has broken exclusives on Jose Mourinho's appointment, the re-signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking, the club's interest in Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag, as well as numerous other transfers and team news. He has represented the MEN on the BBC, Sky News, Sky Sports News, TalkSport, Radio 5 Live, CNN and various other media outlets worldwide. To receive Samuel's weekly newsletter for exclusive views and insight, subscribe at https://insideoldtrafford.substack.com/about
“Sacked in the morning.” “Can we play you every week?” “Premier League, you’re having a laugh.” Those were just three chants aimed at Manchester United by Grimsby Town supporters in the first half alone.
That is Grimsby Town of League Two. The fourth tier in English football. A team that was competing in the National League a few years ago.
This was not a United team teeming with unknowns or untried novices, as they were against Port Vale in 1994 or MK Dons in 2014. This was a United side assembled at a cost of £401.61million. For 45 minutes, this was worse than MK Dons.
There was a United comeback, but it was incomplete. A marathon penalty shootout ended 12-11 to Grimsby Town. Bryan Mbeumo ended the charade by striking the crossbar.
That sparked a mass pitch invasion. Bruno Fernandes rushed to Mbeumo to escort him off. Harry Maguire signalled to his teammates to head to the tunnel. United’s security personnel did likewise with alacrity.
Ruben Amorim’s body language resembled that of a condemned coach for much of the night. At one point, he looked to be bickering with his assistant, Carlos Fernandes. Those sunny days in Chicago during the pre-season tour last month, where Amorim was tanned and breezy, feel like a reverie.
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Amorim, sodden from the biblical second-half rain, ran onto the pitch to fetch the ball in the 84th minute. “Oi, Amorim, your lot aren’t very good,” yelled a Grimsby fan. He was soon silenced by Harry Maguire’s equaliser.
That was a brief reprieve. The shootout defeat tempers this humiliation but this will be remembered as one of United’s most shocking cup defeats. One to file with Bournemouth 1984, York City 1995, Southend 2006, Leeds 2010 and MK Dons 2014.
Andre Onana headed down the tunnel at full-time, followed by goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital. He re-emerged and was advised to remain calm by Fernandes for the spotkicks. Fernandes was soon anything but, urging Altay Bayindir to advise Onana to hand the ball to United’s next taker.
Onana produced a superb stop from Clarke Oduor in the penalty shootout yet was thereafter porous. Matheus Cunha lost his nerve with a potential matchwinning penalty. United's first two summer signings missed.
United players are playing their way out of the club. That Amorim has messily mismanaged the goalkeeper situation does not account for Onana’s incompetence for both of Grimsby’s goals. Onana was flimsy for the first and a pushover for the second.
Onana’s confidence has doubtless been harmed by the contrary call to start Bayindir in the opening Premier League games. That does not legislate for a League Two club making him look an amateur. Amorim did not appreciate the recommendation of Tom Heaton but he was the safest bet to start this season.
At a club where anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, a former United academy member threatened to get the winner. Tyrell Warren spent part of his summer training with his long-time friend, Marcus Rashford, to prepare him for his transfer to Barcelona. Rashford can be forgiven for celebrating his old teammate's glory against his parent club.
United’s starting academy defender, Tyler Fredricson, was a boy among men and repeatedly targeted but criminally devoid of a teammate to protect him. Maguire, captaining United at kick-off for the first time since he was stripped of the captaincy in July 2023, regained his old form. He handed the armband back to Fernandes for the second half and connected with Mason Mount’s corner to extend the evening.
But this was no rescue act. Instead, individuals, the head coach and his staff have been brutally exposed. Patrick Dorgu played kick-and-rush in the blood and thunder. He was not on the pitch when the torrential rain turned United’s shirts blood red. The sharks may scent blood soon.
Dorgu was overpromoted and is being overplayed, starting every game by virtue of his status as the sole senior left winger. Dorgu is 20 years old and arrived from Lecce in January.
Some are giving up on Manuel Ugarte at United and he looked to throw in the towel himself, staying prone and seeking a free kick seconds before Charles Vernam slammed the ball into the corner for the opening goal. Fredricson, Ugarte and Dorgu had to take their seats in the raucous main stand after their showers.
Fernandes, Mbeumo and Matthijs de Ligt emerged at the pause. Diogo Dalot switched to the left wing and United had five No.10s and a striker in their front seven for the second half. Mbeumo scored one of the most uncelebrated first goals by a United player.
Amorim’s head dropped and he slumped back down to his haunches when Amad lost the ball. That was at 0-0. Amorim was in a narky mood long before Grimsby changed the scoreboard and caused ripples in the North Sea.
Grimsby will not have cowed a team more easily than United. Cowards may be a more fitting description. Rumbustious tackles put certain individuals out of the game, the tone set by an early and fair challenge on Amad. Rather than get up, he milked the contact. Amad did not fancy it.
Amorim lost his rag inside two minutes, smacking his hands and shouting in the direction of Dorgu. He was more demonstrative than usual and constantly on Sesko’s case, piqued that he was positionally distant without the ball.
Sesko was out of kilter with his new teammates. Hardly a shock when he was held back in the first two fixtures against Arsenal and Fulham. United seem oblivious as to how to function with a centre forward in their starting XI. It was hardly a ringing endorsement that Sesko was the final outfield player to take a penalty kick.
Calendars have not been turned over to September and opposition supporters are already wondering when Amorim will go. The United away end, already subdued at 0-0, was numb at 1-0 and catatonic at 2-0. They eventually mustered a rendition of ‘We’ll never die’ as half-time loomed and that was funereal.
1,200 United supporters crammed into a stand with advertising for Winner Winner Chicken Dinner and Copes Readymix Ltd. This was a more authentic ground than United’s last second-round League Cup tie, the infamous 4-0 shellacking at MK Dons in 2014. The parallels were glaring.
Louis van Gaal fielded the untried that evening and was so unfussed by the hammering he started signing autographs at full-time. Amorim could not afford to be as blasé and United were still worse than Louis’s lambs that were slaughtered 11 years ago.
United’s pricey substitutes were heckled with the familiar Football League chorus of, “Who are ya?” De Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee were without a seat and were ordered to move further back by the fastidious fourth official. There was not a spare seat at the all-seater Blundell Park as 8,647 spectators packed it out.
Amorim is almost on his knees.
