'No creation & millions wasted on recruitment - Amorim's mammoth task'

If Ruben Amorim spent his Sunday in Lisbon tuning into events at Old Trafford, he will have witnessed a graphic illustration of the task awaiting him when he finally arrives as Manchester United manager.

United, under the temporary leadership of Ruud van Nistelrooy following Erik ten Hag’s sacking, were not short of effort in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, but this grim evidence of an acute lack of quality and creation, bolted on to the vast millions wasted on poor recruitment, will have been a sobering experience for Amorim.

If he did not know the industrial scale of the job he has taken on, then Amorim will no longer be under any illusions.

This was not a bad United display, certainly not their worst in recent times, but all the perspiration expended could not cover up the shortage of inspiration that will be at his disposal.

United’s statistics say it all about their current status, measuring the distance Amorim will have to take his new charges to make them anything resembling a going Premier League concern.

They are currently 13th in the table with 12 points, United’s worst return after 10 games of a league campaign since 1986-87, when they had eight. That was the season the torch passed from Ron Atkinson to Sir Alex Ferguson. It eventually brought spectacular results, although it took the great Scot until 1990 to claim his first trophy in the shape of the FA Cup.

And United’s lack of punch is underscored by their meagre total of nine league goals, their fewest in a league campaign since 1973-74, when they also had nine. That was the season they were relegated to the former Second Division.

No-one is suggesting for one moment this is the fate awaiting them this time, but this is a very average United side getting very average results, hence the acquisition of the highly-regarded Amorim.

It was almost inevitable that United’s goal came via Bruno Fernandes’ penalty, given their lack of serious threat to Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez in the previous 70 minutes.

Marcus Rashford had struck the bar in the closing seconds of the first half, but Sanchez was untroubled until he injudiciously challenged Rasmus Hojlund as the United striker appeared to lose control of the ball while moving away from goal during a rare incursion into the danger zone.