Ruben Amorim: Man Utd boss ‘not concerned’ about future amid more questions

The problem for Amorim is that, by his own admission, his messaging is not bearing fruit.

Bruno Fernandes’ second missed penalty out of three this season was a contributing factor as United extended their wait for an away win in the league to eight games, their worst run since 2019.

Since Amorim’s tenure began last November, no team has conceded the first goal in more league games than United.

He said his players had worked on Brentford’s likely gameplan – flooding the midfield to create overloads and playing long balls into the forward positions, particularly behind the wide central defenders Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt – but, when it came to the execution, they were found wanting.

“The goals today, we worked on during the week,” Amorim said. “That is frustrating.

“I see the guys in training. I feel sometimes in the games, when things are really hard, they are not the same. But that is the pressure of the club.”

For some observers, it boils down to Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, which he steadfastly refuses to change.

Rookie Brentford manager Keith Andrews showed flexibility by switching from the five-man defence he deployed in the defeat at Fulham last weekend to a back four, which, he said, “gave us a better base and fluidity in midfield”.

“When you entice players on to you, they vacate space,” he said.