Michael Owen has leapt to the defence of Ruben Amorim, branding criticism of the Manchester United head coach's tactics as "embarrassing". The former striker hit back at club legends Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney, who have questioned why Amorim has not abandoned his system amid a difficult season.
United have won only half of their Premier League games this term and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the second round by Grimsby Town on penalties. Amorim has yet to record back-to-back victories since replacing Erik ten Hag in November 2024.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Owen insisted the problems at Old Trafford run far deeper than the formation. "They have changed the manager numerous times since [Sir Alex] Fergie left," he said. "Then they blamed the players; spent billions on players... Next, it was the people buying the players... Then it's the fault of the facilities... Then it's the staff." He added that Ten Hag's back-four produced "some of the most awful football I've ever seen from a Manchester United team."
Owen dismissed the idea that the back-three is the root cause of United's decline. "Some great teams over the years have played with a back-three," he said. "I certainly don't think all of United's problems now are because they play with the back-three. It's embarrassing if you're going to say the main reason for the downturn is because they play a back-three." In a separate interview with casino.co.uk, Owen sympathised with Amorim, suggesting negative punditry could distract the squad. "Players aren't sheltered away from everything," he said. "If they're saying certain things, then it might enter their head."
