manchester united: an environment to toxic to succeed in?

Is the environment at Manchester United currently too toxic to succeed? People try and make out like the situation at United is simply down to poor recruitment and poor choices of manager over the last decade, but surely it runs much deeper than that? There are numerous examples of players who fail to reach their potential at Manchester United , only to find themselves at another club elsewhere.

Rasmus Hojlund was once labelled as one of the worst strikers in Manchester United history by fans with a toxic online presence, but now he finds himself in a situation where he is being fed by Kevin De Bruyne in a fluid and functioning Napoli team, and cannot stop scoring. Many argue that the Serie A is weaker than the Premier League, which may be the case, although the Champions League final featured a team that finished below Napoli last season. But what about Hojlund scoring goals in the Champions League for Napoli? What about him refinding his feet on an international level for Denmark? He could barely score a goal at United last season, partly down to the club failing to create for him, and yet here we are, six goals in as many games for club and country already this season. It CAN’T be a coincidence.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 04: Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United , acknowledges the fans after the team’s victory in the Premier League match between Manchester United and Sunderland at Old Trafford on October 04, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Manchester United is, by nearly every metric, the most discussed and written about club in the entire world. They surpass Barcelona in overall engagements and are likely comparable only in sheer mass size to Real Madrid globally. The conversations, given that over a billion people support one club, can inevitably take on a dark shade. Players have been publicly threatened, and managers’ looks, personalities, and dress sense have been scrutinised when analysing the team. It is the hardest job in world football, both playing and managing Manchester United . Journalists like Samuel Luckhurst, who bays for blood every week and writes hit pieces that are lapped up by certain sections of the fan base, don’t make anything easier.

Take his piece in the gutter tabloid journalism paper known as The Sun yesterday, with a catchy headline depicting the hopeful downfall o f Amorim . Is that what we spend years studying journalism for? Praying on the downfall of a club you’ve tried to plague with your negative articles over the last ten years?

Many might say it’s easy to pick up a wage and perform poorly for United. That may be true. But I’ve spoken to sources close to people within the United dressing room, and the mood is so low that it is affecting the player off the pitch in so many ways, as well as his family. This is another thing people fail to take into account with the over-the-top criticisms of these players, who are human beings with family members.

The abuse thrown towards these individuals is read by their family members, who have to endure the online vitriol day by day that gets directed at their sons. The source in question felt the player had been hugely disrespected, and it was not something they had ever experienced as a family or he as a player at any other club, referencing the atmosphere around the club as horrible, while also being very clear that they felt the coach would turn it around.

Luke Shaw spoke about the environment in pre-season, making clear Amorim wants to change the toxic environment surrounding the club this season.

“I think he talks a lot about it. Ruben demands 100% and that’s it, and he doesn’t want anything less. If someone’s doing 85 or 90%, it’s not enough for him. I think, especially this year, if you’re not doing the right things, I feel like you won’t play.

“It’s not hard to see from the outside what it’s been like. A lot of the time, I’ve been here over the last few years, and it’s been extremely negative. It can be quite toxic to the environment; it’s not healthy at all.

“We need an environment that’s healthy, that’s positive, that’s got good energy and happiness.”

Ruben Amorim himself suggested that the level of abuse in Portugal from the press is worse in terms of the measures they take, and that is likely to be true. However, the sheer volume of negative stories written about United makes it nearly impossible to compete in. The toxicity makes its way behind the scenes, and as Amorim said recently, it has a huge impact on the players.

The media have rewritten entire Manchester United careers right before the very eyes of the fans, with many of them falling for the propaganda spoonfed to them. Paul Pogba’s Manchester United career was so much better than the media will have you believe, and considering the difference in excuses and content of articles written about Florian Wirtz at Liverpool since his £120m+ move to Liverpool, it’s quite laughable to compare the differences between the two.

Sections of the media, namely Graham Souness, have tried to suggest that 4 assists in one game is what you expect from a £100m player, despite the fact that Pogba had to play in a 2-man pivot for United throughout most of his career.

Every week, new segments feature random people discussing topics unrelated to them, all involving Manchester United . Gabby Agbonglahor speaking about INEOS layoffs, Jermaine Pennant speaking about the 343, and Tim Sherwood’s opinion on Patrick Dorgu. It makes no sense. It’s boring and repetitive, but they have to try and milk their cash cow.

Gary Neville recently stated that if social media and the press are affecting Manchester United players, they shouldn’t be playing for the club. But social media wasn’t around when Neville was a player. Imagine the David Beckham saga with England if social media were around. Imagine how much more dark that situation could have gotten. It’s a different beast. A completely separate animal from anything those players would have endured back then, and it’s almost impossible to block out the sheer amount of interactions Manchester United players get.

Marcus Rashford’s high goal contributions for Barcelona this season are no coincidence. Scott McTominay’s winning Serie A Player of the Year is no small achievement. They are in flourishing environments, away from constant surveillance, and not playing in a fight-or-flight mode every time they step out onto a football pitch.

Ruben Amorim has been working to develop a system at Manchester United , a topic of conversation since the beginning. Every week, every conversation, system system system. Amorim has done more interviews in a week than some Premier League managers have arguably done in their careers. It’s constant. It’s tiring. It’s impossible to achieve something different if everyone is consistently telling you that what you are doing is never going to work. Should be be allowed time? That’s a conversation for another day. Was he ever going to get time regardless, in an environment that preys on failure like the media and social media analysts around Manchester United? Not a hope.

Criticism is expected. There are no issues with constructive criticism. United finished 15th last season. It isn’t good enough, and it was an embarrassment. But will offering managers a fight in Old Trafford car park really make things better? Is sending bomb threats to a player’s house going to improve matters? The fanbase is a huge problem, apart from the ones in the stadium who cheer Ruben every week, even when, at times, he may not deserve it. It used to be United against the world, now it seems to be the world and even United fans against United.

It’s unlikely the club will ever be successful again if that continues to be the case.