RUBEN AMORIM was labelled a “coward” as fans demanded he is sacked following Manchester United’s humiliating Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby.
Man Utd had to fight back from 2-0 down against the League Two club just to force penalties – only to exit after an 18-minute shootout.
Amorim’s underachieving flops were second best throughout the game and not even Harry Maguire’s late header could spare their blushes.
But despite the dismal display on the pitch, it was Amorim’s actions off it that had Red Devils supporters reeling from their seats in front of the telly.
The Portuguese gaffer – who is surely under immense pressure after yet another defeat – was first ridiculed for seemingly experimenting with new tactics on his tactics board when his team were trailing 2-0.
TV cameras caught Amorim tinkering with pieces on his board over an hour into the match with United looking lifeless on the pitch.
Furious fans reacted online, with one writing: “He should be sacked before the bus even leaves the ground. That’s unforgivable”.
A second fumed: “He’s playing tic-tac-toe mid game!”
And a third claimed that Amorim was “pretending to look busy at work”.
Even when United had clawed their way back into the game, thanks to a tidy Bryan Mbeumo finish and a Maguire header, fans found another reason to be angry with their manager.
During the penalty shootout, fans spotted that Amorim was “hiding” in the dugout as he appeared to slump back into his seat and avoid watching the 18-minute slugfest.
One livid supporter wrote: “Sorry, but I don’t want a manager who’s too scared to watch a penalty shootout against a League Two team. Sort it out or f*** off”.
While another posted: “Amorim hiding during this penalty shootout against a fourth division team is an embarrassment”.
A third posted: “A manager that can’t even watch his own team against a League Two opponent. Get Ruben Amorim out of my club.”
And a fourth even wrote: “Amorim can pack his bag. Couldn’t even watch the penalties, coward.”
There’s no doubt that the microscope on Amorim just got even more intense after a defeat like this.
The 40-year-old appears to be running out of time and will surely need to get a result on Saturday when United host newly promoted Burnley at Old Trafford.
He has won just one of his last seven games in all competitions and currently has a win percentage of just over 37 per cent during his time in charge of United.
Speaking after the defeat to Grimsby, Amorim hinted that his squad aren’t playing for him.
He said: “In the end, it doesn’t matter if we recover or not, it’s the signs the team gave during the game, the beginning of the game.
“I think the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch.
“The best players lose because one team can win against any group of players, and I think the team and the players spoke really loud today, so that’s it. We lost, the best team won.”
Adding: “I think it’s really clear what they spoke, so let’s move on from this day and I think it was clear for everybody what happened today.”
“The way we start the game without any intensity, all the idea of the pressure, we were completely lost and that’s why I think they spoke really loud.”
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