Manchester United: Ruben Amorim’s big moment – Are Manchester United finally ready to go?

Amorim is right to be cautious – and United fan Frank Ellett would probably be wise not to get his hopes up that the haircut he promised himself – when the team wins five games in a row – may be just three weeks away.

As BBC Sport explained in the lead-up to the Liverpool clash, United were unable to pick up a single point over two of the next three games; Brighton is at home, Nottingham Forest is away, and Tottenham is away.

Players both past and present realize that there were so many promises of false dawns that vanished almost instantly that they can’t take anything for granted.

“The players will return to the training ground in a better place, but they have to use this as a springboard to make sure they can move forward,” former United captain Roy Keane said.

“We don’t give the fans enough days like this,” was Maguire’s take on his first win at Anfield as a United player.

He added: “Football is about creating special memories, and today we all go home happy, but we are not in a position to rush away.”

Maguire embodied the spirit for which Amorim was praised more than anything else.

Had he given up when Ten Hag decided he could do without his captain in 2023, the centre-back would no longer be a United player. Instead, the 32-year-old turned down the chance to join West Ham.

Even after losing the captaincy to Fernandes, Maguire refused to give up. At the start of this season, when Matthijs de Ligt was named as the centre-back in Amorim’s three-man centre-back, he faced the challenge of reclaiming his starting place squarely.

As his contract approaches its final year, Maguire is holding on to Manchester United strongly enough to be willing to take a pay cut to extend his time at Old Trafford.

“This is a club that is under a lot of pressure,” Amorim added. “It’s not easy to play here and Harry is very important to us.

“When you think about everything he’s been through, he’s a great example for every kid.”

Amorim knows he needs a lot more work for anyone to realistically believe he will stay at United for the three years Ratcliffe spoke of recently.

Another home defeat to Brighton – a fourth in a row at Old Trafford next weekend – would see the Eagles bounce back.

He knows that many of those who talk about the club, publicly or privately, have expressed the view that Amorim will lose his job sooner rather than later.

He would normally welcome such talk and use it as motivation, while also taking solace from the knowledge he provided to fans who have paid so much to see so little in recent times – including an embarrassment at League Two Grimsby in the FA Cup in August – and yet still sing in his honour, a day to remember.

“It’s not normal to find something like this. There are a lot of bad moments, and for the fans to always support the coach when every one of you says ‘until Christmas’, he’s gone.”

“I want you guys (the media) to continue with the narrative you are on. Don’t change that. That’s what’s best for me.

“I didn’t have many wins in Manchester. Our fans suffered against Grimsby, they suffered against Brentford. Today they saw a different team.

“This is a win for them.”