How Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United start compares to his recent predecessors

By Tom White, PA Sport Data Journalist

Ruben Amorim has lost three of his first six Premier League games in charge of Manchester United after Sunday’s humbling against Bournemouth.

Here, we compare his record to his recent predecessors at Old Trafford.

W1 D3 L2, F7 A9

United’s greatest manager of recent times had an inauspicious start of his own in the old First Division, losing to Oxford and waiting until his third game for the first goal, from full-back John Sivebaek, and win of his reign against QPR. United finished that season 11th but Ferguson went on to win 13 league titles and 25 major trophies with the club.

W2 D1 L3, F8 A8

Ferguson’s hand-picked successor announced himself by winning the Community Shield and then beating Swansea 4-1 – but defeats to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City quickly stalled his momentum and he failed to last the first season of his six-year contract.

W2 D2 L2, F11 A9

Swansea were also Van Gaal’s first opponents and handed him a 2-1 setback as he went winless in his first three league games, while also losing to MK Dons in the League Cup. QPR offered up a first win but he then lost 5-3 to Leicester. The Dutchman left after two years with an FA Cup win to his name.

W4 D0 L2, F12 A7

Another opening Community Shield win was followed by league victories over Bournemouth, Southampton and Hull before Mourinho’s first real test brought defeat to Manchester City. His two and a half seasons in charge yielded a Europa League title and a League Cup.

W6 D0 L0, F17 A4

Initially a caretaker replacement for Mourinho, the popular former striker won his first eight games overall with two of them in the FA Cup as he earned the permanent role with 14 wins from 19 games in caretaker charge.

W3 D2 L1, F8 A5

United went with the former Schalke and RB Leipzig boss on an interim basis and he started well, aside from a 1-0 loss to Wolves – but his temporary reign slid into such mediocrity that his scheduled consultancy role beyond that season was scrapped.

W4 D0 L2, F8 A8

The ex-Ajax boss lost his opening game to Brighton and was shocked by a 4-0 thumping at Brentford – before winning his next four, including against Liverpool and Arsenal. He won a cup competition in each of his two full seasons in charge but was sacked in October this year.

W2 D1 L3, F9 A10

United were held by Ipswich in Amorim’s first game in charge and while there have been bright spots – a hammering of Everton and a derby win over faltering rivals City, plus two Europa League wins – defeats to Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth show there is plenty of work to do.

A long-running history of under-performance and a change of system provide mitigating factors but United go into Christmas in the bottom half of the table – 13th – for the first time in the Premier League era.