Another pitiful Man Utd display - but can Amorim make things better?

In the last dregs of Manchester United's 3-0 defeat by Manchester City, the TV cameras picked out Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the directors' box.

The man who calls the shots at Old Trafford these days was deep in thought.

What was he thinking? Was another damaging defeat at what in theory is a top-six rival sinking in?

Was he wondering how his new striker could go an entire game without touching the ball in the opposition box, less than 24 hours after the guy he binned off to bring in Benjamin Sesko marked his Napoli debut with a goal?

Was he wondering how, after spending more than £200m on new players in the last two summers, it is possible that, after just four games, stats guru Opta says his club now stands more chance (11%) of getting relegated this season than of finishing inside the top five (7.3%)?

Whatever it was on his mind, it can't have been pretty, like Amorim's answer as the United head coach thrashed about looking to explain another pitiful display in a season he promised would be better.

"I understand how football is and results dictate all the narratives," he said.

"We are doing better but the results don't show that. I understand the record and I understand the decision that comes with that.

"My message is I am going to give everything and do everything that is best for the club.

"Then it is not my decision, the last. Until I am here, I will do my best and I am suffering more than them."

By them, Amorim presumably meant the fans, the overwhelming majority of whom had cleared off long before the former Sporting coach and his defeated players went over to applaud those who had remained, amid the huge number of empty blue seats.

With four points from four games, United have made their poorest start to a league season since 1992-93 under Sir Alex Ferguson.

That season marked the end of United's 26-year wait to win the title but before optimism about a repeat starts to build, that was a 42-game campaign and, more importantly, did not contain a transfer window. Ferguson could go out and buy Eric Cantona in November, which changed the course of history.

"It does concern me," former United skipper Roy Keane told Sky Sports.

"This United team lack real quality. Look at the results, points per game, goals for and against. It is not good reading.

"You talk about the system but the manager is sticking to his guns. He is not budging."

Amorim has been asked about the 3-4-3 formation he is wedded to so many times, it is almost becoming pointless doing it again.

Yet, repeatedly, United's midfield gets exposed due to a lack of numbers, or at least a lack of bodies close enough to each other. That was evident in the failure to prevent the opening goal - created when Jeremy Doku left Bruno Fernandes and then weaved his way through a largely static rearguard before setting up an unlikely headed finish from Phil Foden.

On his first Premier League start, Sesko had one opportunity when he was sent running at the City goal, only for the Slovenian to take a heavy first touch and chip his shot into Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had closed the gap right down.

In any case, Sesko was penalised for handball – and United did not have many other chances until the game was lost, despite putting together a number of impressive build-up moves that tended to fizzle out before they could get to the red light threatening stage.

"I'm going to hold back on giving him [Sesko] a hard time," former United striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Me as an old number nine, I expect more from a number nine playing for United. Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias looked like they were on a park playing against Sesko today."

Ratcliffe does not look the type who spends his Saturday evenings scrolling social media but if he was happening to be doing so 24 hours earlier, he might have caught Napoli's X post of a smiling Hojlund, with a blue heart and a fire emoji in honour of their new number 19 finding the net. For context, the post had 2.9m views and 28,000 likes. The numbers for Kevin de Bruyne's opener were 12,000 and 525.

There is huge interest in how Hojlund performs out of the United bubble. He returns to Manchester on Thursday when he will hope to have more success at the Etihad in the Champions League than his old team-mates managed.

For the record, Amorim's answer to the formation question was this: "I believe in my way and I will until I want to change."

Many concerned supporters think that moment has arrived.

With the current squad, they feel there is enough talent available to pick four defenders, three midfielders – including Bruno Fernandes – with Bryan Mbeumo and, when fit, Matheus Cunha, supporting Sesko. That, they argue is more solid and would make United less prone to conceding easy goals.

"Against Arsenal were we the better team," is Amorim's counter to the argument.

"(Martin) Odegaard, (Declan) Rice and (Martin) Zubimendi are three top midfielders. We played with two.

"The fans don't want to hear these things but I am trying to be rationale."

It can be argued assessment from the sidelines with no responsibility or consequence is easy.

Yet many of those who get paid to do it have vast experience behind them and understand the dynamics of the game.

"My problem with this system is you're asking players to play in positions they're not used to," said former England international Theo Walcott.

"And I'd rather have Bruno Fernandes higher up the field. I'd like to have two solid centre-backs and a 4-3-3. That is what I believe but we know he doesn't do that."

Once he had completed his media duties, Amorim briefly went back to the dressing room before heading towards the exit, flanked by a member of United's security staff. There was not even a look upwards in acknowledgement to the media he was walking past.

Like Ratcliffe earlier, he had a lot on his mind. Unlike Keane, Dublin and Walcott, he has to find some answers pretty quickly.

His only kindred spirit in that sense is Robbie Savage, who has taken the manager's job at Forest Green Rovers, currently second in the National League.

If Amorim wanted sympathy from that direction, he didn't get it.

"Grimsby beat them," he said on 606. "I believe right now if Forest Green Rovers got to the third round of the FA Cup, I would want to draw them at home."