That Sums Up Manchester United’s Worst-Ever Premier League Season Under Amorim
When Manchester United announced Rúben Amorim as their new manager ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, the fanbase was filled with hope. The Portuguese tactician arrived with a glowing reputation from Sporting CP—known for his modern tactical approach, youth development, and domestic success in Portugal. After years of inconsistency and managerial turnover, it felt like the dawn of a new era at Old Trafford.
Fast forward nine months, and that optimism has been crushed under the weight of disappointment. What was supposed to be a transformative season has instead spiraled into Manchester United’s worst-ever Premier League campaign, marred by tactical disarray, player unrest, and record-breaking underachievement.
This is a detailed breakdown of how it all fell apart—and why this season will go down as one of the darkest in the club’s storied history.
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A Tactical Identity That Never Took Hold
Amorim arrived with a clear tactical vision—a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 system built around fluid positional play, aggressive pressing, and vertical transitions. It worked wonders in Portugal, but in England, it never translated.
From the opening matchday, United looked tactically disjointed. Players appeared confused by their roles. The back three failed to coordinate, the wing-backs were constantly caught out of position, and the midfield lacked the energy and composure to control matches. Amorim’s system, which requires precise movements and collective understanding, clashed with a squad that was neither technically refined nor mentally synchronized.
Even with the summer arrivals of Gonçalo Inácio, Morten Hjulmand, and Viktor Gyökeres—players Amorim handpicked from Sporting—the system never clicked. Inácio struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, Hjulmand was often overrun in midfield battles, and Gyökeres, while showing flashes of quality, was isolated and under-served in a broken attack.
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Historic Defensive Collapse
United’s defense this season was nothing short of catastrophic. The team conceded a record number of goals—far worse than even during the darkest days under David Moyes or Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The backline, constantly reshuffled due to injuries and tactical changes, never settled.
Lisandro Martínez’s injury woes continued, Harry Maguire regressed to his worst form, and Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were both inconsistent. Even Inácio, the €60 million signing, looked overwhelmed in several key games. The defensive unit was constantly exposed due to a lack of midfield protection and poor pressing structure.
Games against top-six rivals routinely ended in humiliation, with United conceding four or more goals on multiple occasions. There was no cohesion, no structure, and no resilience. Under Amorim, a team that was expected to become tactically sophisticated became laughably fragile.
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Midfield Mayhem
One of the major expectations for the season was that Amorim would finally fix United’s chaotic midfield. However, what unfolded was a deeper crisis.
Casemiro was phased out due to age and poor form, while Christian Eriksen was sidelined by injuries and inconsistency. Morten Hjulmand, though talented, couldn’t shoulder the burden alone. Kobbie Mainoo showed heart and intelligence beyond his years, but without proper support or structure, he was often left stranded.
Bruno Fernandes, the team’s captain and creative leader, tried to impose himself on games but was frequently played out of position or asked to take on roles that stifled his influence. Amorim never found the right balance between defensive solidity and creative expression—leading to a midfield that was often bypassed entirely.
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A Blunt and Disjointed Attack
In attack, things went from bad to worse. Manchester United recorded their lowest goal tally in Premier League history, and only managed to score more than two goals in a game a handful of times throughout the season.
Rasmus Højlund struggled with injuries and confidence. Viktor Gyökeres was clearly a quality player, but he couldn’t thrive in a team devoid of service. Marcus Rashford looked like a shadow of his former self, often criticized for his lack of work rate and body language. Antony continued his trajectory of underperformance, while Jadon Sancho remained out of the squad following off-field issues.
Amorim’s system relies on wide forwards stretching defenses and dynamic movement across the front three. But United’s wingers were either inconsistent or incompatible with his methods. The end result was predictable, one-dimensional attacking play and a team that lacked both creativity and goal threat.
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Dressing Room Division and Fan Backlash
As results worsened, so did the atmosphere behind the scenes. Reports of dressing room unrest began to surface midway through the season. Senior players questioned Amorim’s methods, while others grew frustrated with the lack of tactical clarity and communication.
Amorim’s refusal to adapt his system drew criticism from pundits and former players. The idea of implementing a complex tactical philosophy with a mismatched squad began to feel naive. Fan frustration turned into fury, especially after key defeats at Old Trafford to rivals like Liverpool and Manchester City, where United were outclassed from start to finish.
The once-loyal Old Trafford faithful began to chant against both the board and the manager, demanding accountability and a rethink of the club’s direction.
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Statistical Lows and Broken Records
By the season’s end, Manchester United had:
Finished 11th in the Premier League—their lowest position ever.
Conceded 72 goals—a record for the club in the Premier League era.
Scored just 45 goals, the lowest in over 30 years.
Failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time since 2014.
Suffered more home defeats than any other campaign in the club’s history.
The statistics weren’t just ba
d—they were historically bad. This wasn’t just a failure; it was an unraveling.
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