Manchester United: Why the next four games could be key for Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim must look forward to Manchester United’s return to Premier League action this weekend with a renewed sense of optimism.

United produced one of the strongest performances of his spell in charge, beating Sunderland 2-0 just before the international break.

The result relieved the pressure that was mounting on the Portuguese coach in the wake of the horrific defeat against Brentford the previous week.

Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has since backed Amorim, speaking about how it took three years for the former Sporting boss to make his mark at Old Trafford – reminding fans how long it took Sir Alex Ferguson to navigate the turbulent waters after arriving at the club in 1986.

However, Amorim knows few people will take Ratcliffe’s words seriously if he fails to make meaningful progress on a 15th-place finish last season, United’s worst Premier League finish since the 1973-74 relegation season.

Sunderland’s victory raised United to tenth place, and it is only the second time this season that the team has finished a round of matches in the top half of the table. This is the team’s tenth win in 34 Premier League matches since Amorim replaced Erik Ten Hag in November last year. They still have to win two consecutive league matches.

United cannot face a more difficult task on Sunday than Liverpool at Anfield (16:30 GMT), where they have not achieved a win since 2016 and, until last season, scored once in eight visits.

Few believe United will come back from Merseyside with three points. In terms of predictions, it’s the games after that where the real danger comes in – Brighton at home and Nottingham Forest and Tottenham away.

In theory, it is a good opportunity to get a large number of points and move up the table towards the European positions. In the dressing room and the boardroom, that is United’s stated goal this season and it will prove that progress has been made.

However, in each of the last two seasons, United have lost at home to Brighton and at the City Ground and Tottenham Hotspur. In recent times, Amorim has been in charge of all of them.

So a huge four games await United, starting with Liverpool. They could shape how this season ends for United.

Below is a list of upcoming games and a look at what happened last season, as well as Amorim’s post-match ratings and fan verdicts.

It is fair to assume that it is expected to be much better this time.