"The result is not as important as the signs the team showed during the match," Amorim stated. "From the very beginning, only one team was truly playing on the pitch. The stronger team won. The players and the team have said it all today. Everyone clearly saw what happened."

When pressed to elaborate on what he meant by the players "saying it all," Amorim declined to explain further, simply adding, "It's evident in the players' performance."

Manager Ruben Amorim during Man Utd's Carabao Cup second-round loss to Grimsby Town at Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, UK on 27/8/2025. Photo: Shutterstock.

When further questioned about the "bad signs" from the Man Utd players, Amorim highlighted the main issue as their initial approach to the game. "It's not just about the defensive gaps, but from the start, we played without any intensity," the Portuguese manager explained. "The players completely forgot their pressing duties. The whole team lost their way. It's hard to explain, but that performance exposed everything."

Amorim admitted this was not the first time these issues have surfaced. "When you lose but see new problems, it's acceptable. But today, we repeated the same mistakes from last season. That's the worrying part," he said.

The interviewer then pointed out that Man Utd was experiencing similar problems to the previous season, a point Amorim conceded. However, when asked what he would do differently, the 40-year-old manager replied, "I don't need to talk about that. The players showed the answer on the pitch today. We have another game on Saturday, then we'll address the issues during the two-week break."

Amorim plays with the tactics board while Man Utd trails Grimsby Town by two goals.

Manager Amorim changed his entire starting defense for the Grimsby Town match, with goalkeeper Andre Onana, and defenders Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, and Tyler Fredricson in the starting lineup. Upfront, Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes started on the bench, making way for Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo. New signing Benjamin Sesko led the attack in place of Mason Mount.

Man Utd conceded two goals in eight minutes during the first half, stemming from errors by Amad Diallo and Andre Onana. When asked about the Cameroonian goalkeeper, Amorim shook his head and said, "When you play against a fourth-tier team and perform like this, the problem isn't the goalkeeper. The problem lies with the team, with how we approached the match. And today, my players spoke for me, very clearly."

Amorim brought on Fernandes, Mbeumo, Matthijs de Ligt, Mount, and Joshua Zirkzee in the second half. Mbeumo and Maguire scored to level the match at 2-2, forcing a penalty shootout. However, Mbeumo missed the final penalty, resulting in a 11-12 shootout loss and elimination for the "Red Devils."

Mbeumo misses the penalty that eliminates Man Utd from the Carabao Cup.

This defeat puts Amorim's future in doubt, with the team having lost two and drawn one of their first three matches of the new season. Alongside his criticism of the players, he also twice stated, "I don't know," when asked about the defensive gaps exposed in the first half.

Amorim's contract runs until the summer of 2027. Therefore, if Man Utd were to sack the Portuguese manager now, they might have to pay tens of millions of USD in compensation.

Compiled by Xuan Binh