During the penalty shootout at Blundell Park, Amorim sat in the technical area with his head down. The Portuguese manager didn't look up as his players took their penalties during the 18-minute shootout.
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Manager Ruben Amorim with his head down during Man Utd's Carabao Cup second-round defeat to Grimsby Town at Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, UK on 27/8/2025. Photo: Daily Mail |
Manager Ruben Amorim with his head down during Man Utd's Carabao Cup second-round defeat to Grimsby Town at Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, UK on 27/8/2025. Photo: Daily Mail
The image circulated on social media, drawing criticism of Amorim. Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope commented, "A manager sitting in the technical area, unable to watch his players take penalties, can hardly be considered brave. Even if they had won, it still shows Amorim isn't fit to lead a big club like Man Utd." One fan wrote, "Sorry, but the manager not watching the shootout is a terrible look." Another added, "Amorim hiding behind the coaching staff on another disastrous night for the club. That image is truly unacceptable."
Amorim also drew criticism for another incident during the match. With Man Utd down 0-2, television cameras captured the 40-year-old manager fiddling with a tactics board on the sidelines. Many fans mocked him for "playing tic-tac-toe mid-match" or "pretending to be busy."
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Manager Ruben Amorim with his tactics board as Man Utd trailed 0-2. Photo: The Sun |
Manager Ruben Amorim with his tactics board as Man Utd trailed 0-2. Photo: The Sun
Despite a shaky start to the Premier League season, Man Utd were heavily favored going into the match. Their squad's value is estimated at $1.03 billion USD, 245 times that of Grimsby. According to the Opta Power Rankings, Amorim's team is ranked 28th in the world, while Grimsby is 1304th, lower than some V-League (Vietnamese professional football league) clubs.
However, the visitors struggled, allowing Grimsby Town to take a two-goal lead due to errors by goalkeeper Andre Onana. In the second half, goals from substitute Bryan Mbuemo and center-back Harry Maguire brought Man Utd level and forced the match to a penalty shootout.
Onana saved midfielder Clarke Oduor's penalty, but subsequent misses from new signings Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo led to Man Utd's 11-12 defeat.
The loss to the fourth-tier team and the controversial images from the match have put Amorim's position under intense scrutiny. On X (formerly Twitter), many fans called Amorim a "disaster," "weak," and even sarcastically referred to him as "a man waiting to be sacked."
According to TalkSPORT, former England manager Gareth Southgate and former midfielder Michael Carrick are emerging as the top contenders to replace Amorim, with odds of 5/1. Carrick previously served as interim manager at Old Trafford and still has support within the club.
Oliver Glasner, Mauricio Pochettino, Kieran McKenna, and even Zinedine Zidane are also on the list of potential replacements, suggesting that the Man Utd manager's position could soon change hands if the situation doesn't improve.
Compiled by Hong Duy
