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Alan Shearer says Manchester United are paying the price for “terrible” recruitment and that it will take a long time to fix things after boss Ruben Amorim admitted his side might be the “worst” in the club’s history.
United are 13th in the Premier League after sinking to a 3-1 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday.
They have won only three of their 11 league games since Amorim started work as successor to the sacked Erik ten Hag, losing six of them.
And the Portuguese said in his post-match press conference after the Brighton game: “We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that.”
Former England captain and Premier League all-time top scorer Shearer said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “You sort of get and understand why he’s probably saying that, to buy himself time.
“It’s so unusual that you have one of, if not the biggest football club in the world and the manager’s coming out and saying this is the worst side in their history.
“Only last weekend, we were saying how well they performed at Arsenal (who they beat on penalties in the FA Cup) and Liverpool (in a 2-2 draw at Anfield), yet a week later he’s coming out and saying they are the worst in their history, it’s incredible.
“Because of how bad it’s been there, how bad the recruitment’s been, how bad the takeover’s been and how bad everything is, basically, he has a bit of a free hit until the end of the season I think.
“Someone had to go in there and strip it back to the bare bones, and that’s exactly what it needs. It is going to take time and whoever went in was going to face this scenario.
“They need massive recruitment now and in the summer, but it’s going to take a lot longer than that to get that club right.
“The recruitment has been so bad there. It has been terrible. And now they are paying the price for it. It’s going to take a lot of time.
“They’re actually worse now than they were under Ten Hag because of what this manager wants to do with his system. They can’t play it, the way he wants to play, the players just can’t do it.”
When you’re in a very poor situation.. you don’t pour petrol on the flames
Jamie Carragher
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher dismissed the majority of the current United side as a “joke” but insisted Amorim’s comments could get him into trouble.
Speaking on Sky’s Monday Night Football, Carragher said: “I’ve got no time for this Manchester United team. I don’t feel the players or their confidence – half of them are a joke anyway.
“But I’d be very surprised if the powers that be above him won’t be having a very strong word. You don’t speak like that as a Manchester United manager…when you’re in a very poor situation, you don’t pour petrol on the flames.”
