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Ruben Amorim is desperately fighting to save his job as Manchester United head coach.
Daily Mail Sport understands that the mood among the club hierarchy has changed since United were beaten at Brentford last weekend, and a number of players have lost faith in Amorim's ability to turn the season around.
The 40-year-old is under huge pressure as he prepares to face Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday when another defeat could stretch the patience of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family to breaking point.
Although firing Amorim before the end of this month would cost United £12million in compensation, sources acknowledge that the price of failure this season would be even greater if results don't improve.
Amorim on Friday admitted that he could be running out of time, saying: 'Nobody here is naïve. We understand that we need results to continue the project.
'We will reach a point that is impossible for everyone because this is a very big club with a lot of sponsors, with two owners. So the balance is really hard.
Ruben Amorim is battling to save his job at Manchester United after a poor start to the season
The manner of the 3-1 defeat by Brentford raised fresh concerns among the club's hierarchy
'It's a dream to be here, and I want to continue and I want to fight for this.
'But what makes me suffer is to lose games, it is not to lose my job. You fear to lose your job when you have to pay the bills – and I don't have that feeling.
'I just want to continue this. I'm telling you, when we finish the game and you can see me, I don't care about my job. That hurt of not winning games or failing, that hurts me the most.'
It's understood that the manner of United's 3-1 defeat at Brentford last weekend raised fresh concerns among the club's hierarchy, even though Amorim was said to still have Ratcliffe's backing.
Amorim added: 'I just need one more game because football is like that. We win, we get some hope and then in the next game we will see. So I don't need a lot of time.
'It doesn't matter for me, it just matters the next game and the next game is tomorrow. We just have to perform and we need to win.
'It's so frustrating when you create the momentum, go to the next game, something happens. That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. Also the players and especially the staff here.
'But that is not my decision and I think it would be really hard to leave if I don't do everything to follow my career here.'
Wayne Rooney is among the pundits to have criticised Amorim and his system this week
The Portuguese head coach refuses to budge on his tactical philosophy and his determination to play his way
Amorim also fears that criticism of Man United's tactics from ex-players and pundits has got into his players' heads as he tries to salvage their season.
Rooney claimed that he has no faith in Amorim to turn United's season around, while Neville criticised his inflexibility over a 3-4-2-1 system.
Amorim once again defended his football philosophy but admitted that the negative reaction is affecting his players. 'My players believe you guys when you say the problem of our team is the system. I get crazy about that,' he said.
'I don't want to change your mind but my players, I guarantee you, they are listening to you, all the opinions, and they are putting that inside because we are not winning games.
'There is no-one in the world that can listen to everything from people that understand football and not be influenced by that.
'So if you win, everything is okay. If you lose, you are doubting everything about yourself, about your teammates, about the coach, everything. That is normal.
'I talk with the players every day, but I explain point by point what is happening with our team. So again, it's not the 3-4-3 all the time. I think we are thinking about the system. I think we need to look to all of the parts of the game.
'This team played in the different system for many years. And you were talking about the lack of identity, no idea, whatever. So it's not the system. It's the small details, the way we play the game.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Omar Berrada will be key in deciding Amorim's future at the club
'If we don't change certain things, we are not going to win titles if we change for 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, and that is my point with the players.'
Amorim insisted that he has a better knowledge and understanding of United's games than the pundits, and vowed not to be influenced by the external noise.
'I try to listen and to see all the games because I know that I see the game more times than all those guys together,' he added. 'They have to see all the games in the Premier League and give an opinion. My opinion is completely different.
'I see the games, I see the training, I understand my players, I understand what I'm doing and I follow my job this way because it's impossible to survive in this club, listening to all the things.
'I'm the manager of the club, a big club. And is the media going to dictate what I do? It cannot be. It's not possible to sustain that.'
