camondunphy

IN THEIR long and proud history, Manchester United have only lost to fourth tier opposition on one occasion.

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GRIM REAPERS Grimsby fans after the win over United and left, Charles Vernam scores their first goal

That was the Carabao Cup exit against Grimsby Town in August. After that game, manager Ruben Amorim cut a desolate figure, telling an interviewer "sometimes I want to quit".

A couple of days later, he was asked to clarify his comment in a press conference. What he said was startling. "To be really honest, every time that we have a defeat like that in the future I'm going to be like that. I'm going to say sometimes I hate my players and sometimes I love my players. Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years."

That week set the tone for a dismal United season. What he said that week showed us all including United's owners why Amorim isn't up to the challenge.

You cannot talk about your players in public in the way Amorim does. That talk goes back to the dressing-room. Players talk among themselves, it is damaging and hard to figure out.

There are plenty in the game who think Amorim is looking for a way out of Old Trafford. They feel he wants to be sacked, get a payoff, and go back to Portugal to try and rebuild his career.

What we know for certain is the fact that the reputation Amorim had built in his homeland has been severely damaged by his time in Manchester.