\n<\/p>\n
Amorim spoke in the summer about how emotional he gets on occasion. He vowed to be less forthright during his media commitments.<\/p>\n
Some sympathy also has to be offered for the fact he was having to speak on the pitch with the backdrop of still gleeful Grimsby fans telling him he was going to be “sacked in the morning”.<\/p>\n
Yet Amorim’s words do not smack of a renewed determination to deliver success to Old Trafford, just as his actions during the shootout did not give the impression of someone leading from the front.<\/p>\n
And that is a problem.<\/p>\n
For United’s restructure has been built around his famed system.<\/p>\n
While it is fair to say Jadon Sancho and Antony did not have many supporters among the United fanbase and patience with Marcus Rashford was also wearing thin, those players’ values has reduced as the club have looked to move them on because Amorim does not play with conventional wide-men.<\/p>\n
Amorim had been praised by some for his hardline stance with Alejandro Garnacho, and the Argentina international’s behaviour since he was exiled has not done him many favours.<\/p>\n
But it is not that long ago that Garnacho, now in talks with Chelsea, was viewed as the future of United.<\/p>\n
The same is also true of England international Kobbie Mainoo, who feels marginalised to such an extent that if a decent offer came in for him from a club he liked, he would be willing to leave, despite being a local boy and a childhood United fan.<\/p>\n
Given a start at Grimsby after not playing for a single minute in the opening two Premier League games, Mainoo was left on for the full 90 minutes.<\/p>\n
He didn’t produce a display that demanded repeated selection. But neither was he the worst player on the pitch.<\/p>\n
To many, if the system is the reason why 20-year-old Mainoo may leave, the system needs changing. Amorim has said Mainoo is in contention with skipper Bruno Fernandes for a starting spot in the league.<\/p>\n
The United boss felt his method of playing at Sporting, with three central defenders, two wing-backs, two central midfielders, two number 10s and a central striker, was the reason for his success.<\/p>\n
This may be true. He was also at a club famed for developing highly talented young players in a league far less physically demanding than he has encountered in England, and where the competition, other than a couple of notable exceptions in Benfica and Porto, is typically limited.<\/p>\n
On Sunday at Fulham, Silva explained clearly the tweak to his side’s formation that allowed Fulham to take control of the midfield area and turn a game that had threatened to get away from them in the early stages.<\/p>\n
The game didn’t race away from Fulham because United failed to take their chances, a problem that Amorim repeatedly complained about last season.<\/p>\n
This is why he spent \u00a3200m on attacking players this summer.<\/p>\n
Matheus Cunha has looked a decent buy. If the Brazilian had converted his spot-kick in the shootout at Grimsby, United’s blushes would have been spared.<\/p>\n
Yet his shot was saved, Bryan Mbeumo missed the decisive penalty, and it was surprising to many that Benjamin Sesko – the third of the expensive attacking additions – was the last outfield player to step forward for United.<\/p>\n
There would still have been big questions to answer if Amorim’s side had managed to sneak through to round three.<\/p>\n
At clubs like United, performances like this do not get brushed under the carpet. The noise around them is too loud for that to happen.<\/p>\n
Amorim will speak to the media on Friday on the eve of his team’s home game against Burnley. Victory against the Clarets will be expected but it certainly is not guaranteed.<\/p>\n
Beyond that, no-one can be sure what the future looks like for United.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n