“The architects of this mess” – Jamie Carragher left perplexed by one particular Man United decision | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher is struggling to get his head around the strategy adopted by Manchester United when deciding to appoint Ruben Amorim.

The Red Devils opted to sack Erik ten Hag in October, replacing him with the Portuguese manager who arrived in November following a brief period that saw Ruud van Nistelrooy act as interim coach.

But while there were calls to keep the former Man Utd striker in charge until the end of the season, the management insisted on bringing in the Portuguese manager from Sporting CP as soon as possible, and eventually succeeded in this mission.

However, the stats show that Amorim is enduring the worst managerial start at United since 1932, having lost six of his first 11 fixtures.

While he remains a staunch defender of the 39-year-old, Carragher cannot understand the logic behind his appointment. As the Liverpool legend explains, United have built a squad suited for a 4-2-3-1 system, and the same applies to their youth teams, but decided to appoint a manager who stubbornly insists on playing with three at the back.

“When Ruben Amorim was offered the Manchester United job he said he was told by the club it was “now or never”. There must have been times in the past two months when “never” has seemed a more attractive proposition.” wrote Carragher in his column for The Telegraph.

“Amorim’s instinct was to stay at Sporting Lisbon before embarking on an Old Trafford rebuild in the summer of 2025. His initial instincts were probably correct. United might have found the right man for the job and hired him at the worst time.

“The club’s hierarchy has a lot to answer for. Appointing the prime target as soon as possible is understandable. What is harder to explain is this: how could you have given a £200 million budget to a lame-duck coach who plays 4-2-3-1 four months before recruiting a manager who plays three central defenders and wing-backs?”

Jamie Carragher lays the blame on Man United officials for the current mess

(Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Therefore, the retired defender believes that the club’s executives are the main culprits in the catastrophic situation Man Utd are currently enduring.

“The Manchester United executives in charge of football operations are the architects of this mess, not Amorim.

“Technical director Jason Wilcox said when he took the job he wanted the same system replicated across every level of the club. How does that work when you are backing a manager with such a vastly different system to the one you have just sacked?”