Ineos are more likely to respond to Ruben Amorim claim than his Manchester United players

When Ralf Rangnick came up with his famous line about Manchester United needing "open heart surgery," it was uttered in a press conference embargoed until 10.30pm on a Friday.

By the time the United squad arrived at the Emirates at around 11am the following morning, the players were aware of what had been said - and they were not impressed. Rangnick had been letting off steam in press conferences for a while, but on this occasion, he had hurled his players under the metaphorical bus.

His standing in the dressing room was already poor. His coaching staff were nowhere near good enough for United, and Rangnick himself was better in the role of sporting director at club level. It was a mess within weeks of his appointment and after that comment, it was sometimes toxic in the dressing room.

Ruben Amorim isn't in that position yet. From a coaching standpoint, he has a stronger CV, is a more relatable coach to these players, and has a long-term contract. Rangnick was only ever an interim appointment.

But in time, his comment about this being "the worst Manchester United team in history" could belong in the same category as Rangnick's. It will certainly damage relations with some players.

The fact that the 2021/22 squad knew of Rangnick's comments not long after they became public shows that players listen to what their manager or head coach says in public. It's almost impossible to avoid it, and even if they try, you can be sure their agents, PR advisors, or friends will have alerted them.

So what would they have made of that claim? Perhaps they thought this wasn't the worst Manchester United team in history in a back four. It was a poor team going nowhere under a manager who had lost his way, but as Amorim admitted, they