Ruben Amorim said that it "is really clear" Manchester United are in a relegation battle, after a 2-0 loss to Newcastle United leaves the Red Devils just seven points above the bottom three.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 |
Brentford
BRE
|
19 | -2 | 24 |
| 13 |
West Ham
WHU
|
19 | -12 | 23 |
| 14 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
19 | -5 | 22 |
| 15 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
19 | -7 | 20 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
18 | -9 | 17 |
| 17 |
Wolves
WOL
|
19 | -11 | 16 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
19 | -15 | 15 |
The Portuguese head coach also added that it is "a bit embarrassing" to be talking about relegation when asked about it in his post-match press conference, but acknowledged that the blame should be put on him.
"That is really clear [United are being dragged into a relegation battle] so we have to fight," Amorim told Sky Sports.
"It is a really difficult moment, one of the more difficult moments in the history of Manchester United and we have to address it with honesty."
Later in his press conference, Amorim added: "It is also my fault. The team is not improving. It is a little bit lost in this moment and it is a bit embarrassing to be Manchester United coach and lose a lot of games.
"I think people are tired of excuses at this club. This club needs a shock.
"When you have these kind of moments, especially in the big clubs, it's really hard to turn things around, especially when you don't have a lot of time to train the basics, to cope with the difficult moments.
"So we have to acknowledge our position, the way you see the league, everybody can beat everybody."
It doesn't get any easier for Amorim and Man Utd too, with his side facing league leaders Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday before taking on Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.
'Man Utd have gone backwards, but hopefully that is backwards to go forwards'
There wasn't a lot of optimism in Gary Neville's post-match comments, but the former Man Utd defender added that the only positive was Amorim getting a better look at the players he's inherited so far.
"They have gone backwards but hopefully that is backwards to go forwards," Neville said. "There are very slim pickings in terms of positives in the first few weeks.
"Maybe the most positive thing is that he has seen what these players really are and we are not getting the bounce which may have made him think they are better than they are.
"I think he thought it was a big job but it's a massive job and he is finding that out early when he's in a position of power and strength."
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Man Utd's difficult evening and month
The statistics also showed what a difficult evening, and month, Man Utd had.
The Red Devils lost six matches in all competitions in December, only the third month in which they’ve lost six games, after April 1926 (six defeats) and September 1930 (seven).
They also conceded 18 goals in December, their most in a single month since March 1964 (also 18).
Meanwhile Man Utd will end New Year’s Eve 14th in the Premier League, their lowest position at the turn of a year in the league since 1989, which they ended in 15th, eventually finishing 13th.