Alan Shearer offers damning Man Utd assessment as Ruben Amorim hits new low

Alan Shearer claims Manchester United are "a million miles" away from where they need to be - but they've now committed to backing Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese's rocky 10-month Old Trafford tenure stooped to a new low on Wednesday night as United were dumped out of the Carabao Cup on penalties by League Two Grimsby.

Betfair Ambassador Shearer believes it's difficult to establish whether there is light at the end of the tunnel, stating: "As soon as they went all in for Amorim and they got him straight away, rather than waiting until the end of the season, they were always going to have to back him. They have backed him and it's now up to him to get them back into some sort of respectable position.

"They've spent an absolute fortune already this summer but they still need to spend. Whether they can get in what they want in this window or whether they're going to have to wait, we'll have to wait and see but I think it's going to be really tough.

"You look at what the top four or five have spent and then there's the chasing pack, maybe Man United might and I say might, be one of them but even still, they will find it tough to get anywhere near the top five this season. They're a million miles away from where they were or where they want to be."

Goalkeeper Andre Onana's position has become untenable but Shearer feels Amorim also needs to revive the form of captain Bruno Fernandes .

United made a huge push to keep the 30-year-old, who was the subject of an eye-watering offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal earlier this summer worth around £200million over a three-year period.

Since opting to stay put, Fernandes has looked a shadow of his former self in a deeper midfield role. Shearer continued: "I'm not sure where Man United would be without him.

"If it wasn't for him last season, they might not even be in the Premier League . He was their best player, clearly but I don't see him as a sitting midfielder.

"Maybe Amorim sees something different to everything I see and what everyone else sees. He's best suited with a bit of freedom but they've brought [Matheus] Cunha to do that role, I guess. They have to find a position for Bruno.

"With regards to his penalty, I wouldn't criticise anyone for missing from 12-yards as I did too. It won't be the last he misses, you have to step up to take them and put up with the noise when you miss them."

Alan Shearer was speaking at the launch of Betfair’s Safe Sub – if your player goes off, it's not over yet (selected leagues/markets).

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.