In United's 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, Ruben Amorim paced the technical area of the Tottenham Stadium before returning to the dugout and sitting down, head down. He couldn't bear to watch as the eighth of 12 Premier League games was underway. On the pitch ahead, the Red Devils lost to Tottenham Hotspur with a broken squad, and behind the bench sat only a group of young Academy players with huge numbers. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS behind the scenes still appear to support Amorim on the surface, but they do not rule out the possibility of a summer change of manager.

Some people say that Larjue only brought in Amorim at the end of last year, so that the 40-year-old Portuguese young marshal would not be replaced so quickly. But former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth was sacked just a few months after taking office, and five months in office was as long as the "gardening leave" when he left Newcastle United; Amorim's predecessor, Ten Hag, was also sacked shortly after his contract was renewed. All this shows that for the capitalist Lajue, he only looks at interests, regardless of human feelings. Ironically, one of the big disagreements between Ashworth and Rajue is said to be Amorim, who believes Brentford's Thomas Frank should be brought in as coach.

Amorim has his own insistence and refuses to compromise on the 343's style of play, even though everyone knows that his players are not suitable for this style of play, and adjusting the formation will certainly help improve the results in a short period of time.

But Amorim refused to give in: "I see the topics that you see and discuss every week. I had a lot of problems and I worked very, very hard at Manchester United, but I stood by what I believed in. I understand my situation and I have confidence in my work."

But Amorim's own confidence is not enough, some fans and even players have lost faith in his system, because if you keep losing, the scene is not even as good as Southampton, Leicester City, and other relegation teams, it is difficult to really believe that tomorrow will be better. The players in the dressing room may still be rooting for Amorim, but confidence in his tactics is starting to wane.

Those who are disgruntled with Amorim even feel that even when United win, it is the player's individual ability and luck that is the result of the player's individual performance and luck, rather than the manager's tactical victory. "Their feeling is that if they win this time, the next game may not be so good." Sources told the Daily Mail.

For example, the 2-1 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup was won by Harry Maguire's stoppage time offside, and the manager himself could not celebrate after the game. Amorim has won nine games so far, with five more coming in the closing stages, beating Viktoria Plzen, Manchester City, Southampton, Rangers and Fulham. Amorim himself admits it has been a miserable season, saying that the team wants to be relegated first, and he has repeatedly mentioned the feeling of pain. After the game against Tottenham, he even pessimistically said that he wanted to end the season and start from scratch.

In fact, as early as when he was invited by Rajue, Amorim said that he wanted to return at the end of the season, but it was only the Manchester United owner who threatened "now or never" that the Portuguese had to leave Sporting de Portugal early and plunge into the quagmire of Old Trafford.

Manchester City legend Richards pointed out the dilemma facing Amorim, which was almost a must-lose battle. "Changing from a back four to a three-centre-back is very difficult for players to adapt to, and as a coach you should have a record and sometimes adjust your style of play to suit the characteristics of the players. But Amorim must stick to his principles and lay the groundwork for next season. It's a pity that it's Manchester United and people are expecting a good result now.'

Others were expecting Amorim to set up players under 20 years of age against Tottenham, but that was just the idea of an onlooker, with the manager well aware that they were too young and inexperienced to make a difference, and that a heavy defeat would be a blow to confidence.

Amorim's 343 formation, if there are the right players, can naturally win the championship. He did that in Portugal and beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Champions League. However, if things don't go well, he has also been beaten by Ten Hag's Ajax. In fact, this is true of any formation. Now Manchester United's three-centre-back style of play is simply unwatchable, and Gary Neville bluntly said: "They are against the laws of football, absolutely crazy, the formation structure on the pitch is so terrible, it doesn't happen in Under-9 football."

There is yet to be any indication that United's support for Amorim has wavered, but the biggest test will come when the season comes when it comes to backing the manager in the transfer market. Whether Amorim will be able to get the players he wants, or even whether he can stay, remains to be seen.

According to Spain's Fichajes transfer network, Manchester United's board will certainly not change managers before the end of the season, barring a catastrophic situation, such as relegation from the Premier League. However, Lajue and his team did not rule out a change of manager, and they were disappointed that Amorim had not shown the signs of a distinctive game and inconsistent results, and began to doubt his long-term coaching ability.

Rajue may assess possible alternatives to the managerial position, with United aiming to find a manager who can return the team to the top of European football, such as someone of Zinedine Zidane's level, but this has been elusive in recent years.

Last summer, Rajue stayed and gave Ten Hag another £200 million to buy him, which became a source of evil. After that, the club spent money to fire him and Ashworth. Transfer spending and salary spending have also put pressure on United's limited budget, and even if INEOS cuts costs and further layoffs are a drop in the bucket. Amorim recently admitted he had to sell before he buys, but the only players in the squad can be sold are those who can be used.

Even if United have faith in Amorim, will the transfer funds be enough to sign players who are more suitable for him to rebuild the team? That's a conundrum too. Premier League legend Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports: "Manchester United are so far away that at least seven or eight players need to be replaced."

In English, dismissal (Sack) and support (Back) are just the difference between the letters "S" and "B". Amorim's future hangs in the balance, and his continued development will depend on whether United's performance improves substantially in the coming months. If the situation on the pitch doesn't improve, it's no exaggeration that Rajue could have made a move on Amorim sooner than expected.