Ruben Amorim set for 50th Manchester United game but the omens are bad for struggling boss
Manchester United’s clash against Sunderland on Saturday marks Ruben Amorim’s 50th game in charge. However, some Red Devils fans will point to a 38-year hoodoo as a reason to be pessimistic about a much-needed positive result. Amorim’s side go into the fixture on the back of a bleak 3-1 defeat away to Brentford. The result heaped even more pressure on the embattled United boss, so much so minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is understood to have made direct contact with former England boss Gareth Southgate in case a change is needed. Southgate is understood to be one of three options on a shortlist should Ratcliffe feel the need to put Amorim out of his misery. Negative omen overshadowing Amorim’s 50th match in charge of Manchester United Yet Amorim could prolong his Old Trafford tenure with a win over fifth-placed Sunderland, who have tasted defeat just once from their first six league fixtures. Sadly for the Portuguese boss, he only has to look at his predecessors as a reason to be concerned about picking up points. Of the five permanent managers to have led United following Sir Alex Ferguson‘s retirement in 2013, none of them won their 50th game in charge across all competitions. How did previous United managers fare in their 50th game? David Moyes, who had the unenviable task of succeeding Ferguson, oversaw United’s 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League tie in April 2014. Louis van Gaal was introduced as Moyes’ successor in the summer following a successful 2014 World Cup in charge of the Netherlands. Although the Dutchman went on to lead United for 103 games, his 50th match at the helm ended in a 2-1 loss to Swansea City, the same opponent he faced in his first fixture as Red Devils boss. Jose Mourinho took over from Van Gaal in May 2016 and guided the Red Devils to a Carabao Cup and a Europa League trophy during his 144 games in charge. Mourinho guided United to their equal-best league finish since the 2012/13 campaign, which was their last time as Premier League championsGetty Although he fared slightly better than Moyes and Van Gaal, Mourinho’s 50th match as United boss did not end with a victory as the Red Devils endured a 1-1 draw at home to Everton. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag also could not enjoy victories in their respective 50th games at the helm. Solskjaer’s milestone match ended with a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa in December 2019 while Ten Hag oversaw the exact same score but against Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash on April 13, 2023. It means Ferguson was the last Red Devils manager to have won his 50th match in charge, which was back in November 1987 and came courtesy of a 2-1 win over Bury in the League Cup. What is Amorim’s Manchester United record so far? Amorim can ill-afford to add his name to the grisly list of his predecessors to have not won their 50th match as United manager. Going into Saturday’s fixture against Sunderland, Amorim has won just 19 matches, drawn nine and lost 21 of his 49 at the helm. Amorim’s Premier League win rate is 27.3 per cent, significantly worse than Davis Moyes’ percentage of 50 per cent who boasts the second-lowest figure of United’s permanent bossesGetty His Premier League record makes for even worse reading, having won only nine of the 33 league fixtures he has overseen. Amorim also faces an uphill battle to follow the lead of Van Gaal, Mourinho and Ten Hag, who all won trophies during their stints at Old Trafford. The former Sporting boss came agonisingly close to steering United to silverware last term, only to fall short in the Europa League final as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham. United also failed to qualify for Europe this season, meaning their only realistic chances for a trophy lay with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. But the Carabao Cup was chalked off as Amorim oversaw a humiliating exit via penalty shootout to League Two outfit Grimsby Town.

Manchester United’s clash against Sunderland on Saturday marks Ruben Amorim’s 50th game in charge.
However, some Red Devils fans will point to a 38-year hoodoo as a reason to be pessimistic about a much-needed positive result.
Amorim’s side go into the fixture on the back of a bleak 3-1 defeat away to Brentford.
The result heaped even more pressure on the embattled United boss, so much so minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is understood to have made direct contact with former England boss Gareth Southgate in case a change is needed.
Southgate is understood to be one of three options on a shortlist should Ratcliffe feel the need to put Amorim out of his misery.
Negative omen overshadowing Amorim’s 50th match in charge of Manchester United
Yet Amorim could prolong his Old Trafford tenure with a win over fifth-placed Sunderland, who have tasted defeat just once from their first six league fixtures.
Sadly for the Portuguese boss, he only has to look at his predecessors as a reason to be concerned about picking up points.
Of the five permanent managers to have led United following Sir Alex Ferguson‘s retirement in 2013, none of them won their 50th game in charge across all competitions.
How did previous United managers fare in their 50th game?
David Moyes, who had the unenviable task of succeeding Ferguson, oversaw United’s 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League tie in April 2014.
Louis van Gaal was introduced as Moyes’ successor in the summer following a successful 2014 World Cup in charge of the Netherlands.
Although the Dutchman went on to lead United for 103 games, his 50th match at the helm ended in a 2-1 loss to Swansea City, the same opponent he faced in his first fixture as Red Devils boss.
Jose Mourinho took over from Van Gaal in May 2016 and guided the Red Devils to a Carabao Cup and a Europa League trophy during his 144 games in charge.
Although he fared slightly better than Moyes and Van Gaal, Mourinho’s 50th match as United boss did not end with a victory as the Red Devils endured a 1-1 draw at home to Everton.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag also could not enjoy victories in their respective 50th games at the helm.
Solskjaer’s milestone match ended with a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa in December 2019 while Ten Hag oversaw the exact same score but against Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash on April 13, 2023.
It means Ferguson was the last Red Devils manager to have won his 50th match in charge, which was back in November 1987 and came courtesy of a 2-1 win over Bury in the League Cup.
What is Amorim’s Manchester United record so far?
Amorim can ill-afford to add his name to the grisly list of his predecessors to have not won their 50th match as United manager.
Going into Saturday’s fixture against Sunderland, Amorim has won just 19 matches, drawn nine and lost 21 of his 49 at the helm.
His Premier League record makes for even worse reading, having won only nine of the 33 league fixtures he has overseen.
Amorim also faces an uphill battle to follow the lead of Van Gaal, Mourinho and Ten Hag, who all won trophies during their stints at Old Trafford.
The former Sporting boss came agonisingly close to steering United to silverware last term, only to fall short in the Europa League final as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham.
United also failed to qualify for Europe this season, meaning their only realistic chances for a trophy lay with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
But the Carabao Cup was chalked off as Amorim oversaw a humiliating exit via penalty shootout to League Two outfit Grimsby Town.