Ruben Amorim hit the nail on the head with Manchester United problems - but Ineos are to blame

Who had talk of "survival" on their Ruben Amorim bingo card just 10 games into the head coach's new reign at Manchester United? That is as desperate as things have got after four defeats in five Premier League games left United looking over their shoulders.

It felt telling that Amorim entertained a question on relegation after seeing United drop to 14th but shot down a question on European qualification. Let's be honest: United aren't going down. They are four places above the relegation zone but have an eight-point cushion and more than enough quality to ease their way clear gradually.

But finishing in the top half feels like the limit of their ambitions at the moment. They are three points behind Brighton in 10th, who play tonight, but they are playing dreadfully. There is a reason this team is sandwiched between West Ham and Everton, and the midway point of the season is approaching.

Since the start of last season, United have lost 22 of their last 56 Premier League games. That is not a small sample size. It suggests it is a team with mediocrity as its ceiling.

None of this can be pinned on Amorim. The 39-year-old has been on the job for just over a month, and there remains faith that one of the hottest coaching properties in Europe will get things right. He has just started at the worst possible time, a theme he touched on after the dismal Boxing Day defeat at Wolves.

"In this moment, we just have to survive and to win sometimes, to work on the team," he said. "We already knew it. I start this job and start with the team, the new idea of no time to train, a lot of games, tough games, we already knew it, it’s a long journey."

In answering a different question, Amorim added: "We have to work on a lot of things in our