Michael Owen says Ruben Amorim‘s fate as Manchester United head coach was sealed the moment he turned against the Old Trafford hierarchy, and believes his old club are as far as ever from returning to the pinnacle of English football.
Amorim was sacked on Monday after an explosive meeting with director of football Jason Wilcox and comments made to the media about problems behind the scenes at the club.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick are in contention to replace Amorim until the end of the season after Darren Fletcher was placed in temporary charge for the 2-2 draw at Burnley on Wednesday night and Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Brighton at Old Trafford.
Owen welcomed Amorim’s honesty during his 14 months in charge, but admitted that the Portuguese coach was a dead man walking once he took on his bosses before and after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Leeds.
‘It happened quickly, but I wasn’t surprised at all,’ said Owen. ‘I was a little bit surprised with what he said after the game, but I knew that there was trouble behind the scenes.
‘As soon as he said it, I wasn’t surprised that it ended quickly. You simply can’t say things like that about your team, about your employers, about anything, and expect to last.
Michael Owen has claimed that Manchester United are in a better place after Ruben Amorim’s reign than before it
Owen (pictured) pointed to the transfer business United carried out while the Portuguese was in charge
‘When you look back at his reign, there are so many points you can say it went wrong for him.
‘I think the one positive he had, I think people liked him, the way he spoke and how he articulated things and how honest he was.
‘That was an absolute stark contrast to his predecessor, Ten Hag. I thought he spoke in riddles, and I don’t think people believed what he was saying. We were often watching a different game to what he was watching.
‘I actually think his honesty and his take on things was quite refreshing, and he would quite openly say, “This is the worst Manchester United team there’s ever been”, just as one example.’
Owen, who spent three years at Old Trafford, believes the future looks brighter than it did when Ten Hag was in charge, but still feels that United are as far away from the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson as at any time since the Scot retired.
‘Pretty much,’ added Owen, speaking to casino.org. ‘I know you’ll point to the percentage wins and all the rest of it, but there’s data and then there’s your eyes and there’s all the things that you got to consider.
‘Under Erik ten Hag, I thought it was just atrocious. The football was awful. It hasn’t been loads better under Amorim, but there are players now, the likes of (Matheus) Cunha, (Bryan) Mbeumo and (Bruno) Fernandes, who you think might be able to take you forward.
‘I think it was probably worse about a year or two ago, to be honest. We’re probably splitting hairs but I was struggling really to see any positives.
The likes of Matheus Cunha (left) and Bryan Mbeumo (right) show there are ‘green shoots,’ Owen added
‘I think there are the signs of green shoots right now; a new training ground, big new investment, the proposal for a potential new stadium, some good players now on the pitch.
‘The club is a little bit – or was a little bit – more settled than it has been for a while. Off the pitch, I don’t know, but it feels like it’s slightly better than it was a year or two ago.’
