What Ruben Amorim did on touchline during Man United defeat revealed training ground problem

Any Manchester United player casting a glance over at their head coach during Sunday's dismal defeat to Newcastle would have quickly come to understand that this was an afternoon that was not going to plan.

Ruben Amorim was a dissatisfied, animated and frustrated figure in the St James' Park technical area from almost the first whistle in the north east. While Jason Tindall, standing in for the ill Eddie Howe, showed he can temper his touchline demeanour, Amorim once again showed that he can't hide his emotions.

It is hard to say whether that is impacting his players or not, but he can hardly be filling them with confidence. The substitutes would certainly be getting the message that Amorim is once again an unhappy man.

The press box at St James' Park is right behind the dugouts and allows for a clear view of what is happening in the technical area. The first half was littered with shakes of the head and waves of the arms. Amorim barked orders at almost everyone, slapped his hands in frustration and shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.

On several occasions, he turned back to his coaching staff and looked at them in disbelief. He gave the impression of someone who sees signs of hope at Carrington and then watches his team throw all of that work out of the window on matchday.

Yes, United have improved a little of late, but Amorim's pre-match and post-match views continue to diverge. He will often talk about seeing improvement in training, saying that he believes players are starting to get his system and understand the demands placed on them.

Then, he will watch them in the white heat of a matchday and wonder why so little of what they have worked on is being put into practice. Take Sunday, for example. There were