Man Utd chiefs' 'hopes' with Ruben Amorim as replacement tipped to change mentality

Manchester United chiefs will be hoping Ruben Amorim can turn his fortunes around as serious concerns have been raised over the club's mindset. The Portuguese head coach is currently under huge pressure after the Red Devils were dumped out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night after losing to League Two side Grimsby on penalties.

The ex-Sporting Lisbon boss himself appeared to voice doubts over whether he's the right man for the job in the wake of United's latest humiliation. However, the possibility of ditching Amorim just ten months into his tenure poses a serious problem for the club's hierarchy after backing him to the tune of more than £200million during the summer transfer window.

And former United goalkeeper Ben Foster says they will just have to keep their fingers crossed for now that he delivers. Even so, the ex-Wrexham shot-stopper suggested they should switch focus if they do decided to dispense with Amorim's services by bringing in a manager who can fix the Premier League giants' weak mentality.

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim knows what Man Utd chiefs think of him as pressure grows ahead of talks

READ MORE: Man Utd request left Grimsby owner taken aback before Carabao Cup humbling

The 42-year-old reckons they could do a lot worse than appoint former England boss Gareth Southgate as his replacement to achieve that aim if it comes down to it.

Speaking during an appearance on Foster said: "I don't know what the answer is, because if you look at the history of recent managers for Man United, you've had some proper big boys in there. You've had Jose Mourinho, Van Gaal and Solskjaer, when he was doing fantastic for a little while.

"I don't know whether they need to adopt a completely fresh approach. The pressure that's involved in playing for that club is like nowhere else and maybe they've got to go a different way. Even if it's somebody like Gareth Southgate, just give it a go.

He added: "It's somebody that's going to maybe change the mentality of the players and take a more pragmatic approach, because I think what they're doing just isn't working at the moment.

"They've put all their eggs in this basket with Ruben Amorim and they're just going to have to try and ride it out. The top brass at that club are hoping and praying to god that it turns around."

Southgate is one of the bookies' favourites to replace Amorim if he is removed from his post. The 54-year-old has been without a job since stepping down from his England role after they lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

Meanwhile, Foster has criticised Amorim's negative body language during United's cup exit against Grimsby. The manager appeared unable to watch the penalty shootout at times and later criticised his players after the match.

Foster, who spent five years at Old Trafford between 2005 and 2010 said: "It's tough going at the minute. I thought in the summer that they've got this big, new energy, with some fantastic signings, and it's all going to be different.

"The first few weeks of the season, it seems to be pretty much the same old really. The other night against Grimsby was just the epitome of it as well. The worry of it was seeing the manager in the dugout.

"It's really not a good look if you're on the pitch about to take your penalties, and you look back in the dugout, and the manager is sitting there and he's burying his head in his hands. It doesn't scream that we're all in this together."

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