Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has accepted the criticism directed at him by the club’s former players but insisted that judgments are being made without full knowledge of the challenges he faces.

United currently sit eighth in the Premier League and have managed just two wins in their last six matches. Former midfielder Paul Scholes was among those to voice concerns last week, claiming Amorim was not the right man to lead the club because he did not fully understand it.

Addressing those remarks ahead of Monday’s league clash with Bournemouth, Amorim was candid about his situation.

“It’s not about winning in style — not winning is the issue,” he said. “If I’m winning, I can arrive at games on a horse, play with only two defenders, and everything will be fine.

“The problem is that, as a manager, I’m not doing well enough. That is a fact. Me as the manager of Manchester United, we are underachieving. We should have more points, especially this season, and I accept that naturally.”

Amorim also suggested that former players are viewing the club through the lens of their own successful eras.

“Sometimes they don’t have all the information,” he added. “They see Manchester United with the standards they lived here — always winning. So it’s hard for them to see the club in this situation.”

Scholes also criticised Amorim’s handling of academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo, who starred for England in the Euro 2024 final and scored in United’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City that year.

Despite those achievements, the 20-year-old midfielder has made 10 substitute appearances this season, with his only start coming in August during United’s League Cup exit on penalties to fourth-tier Grimsby Town.

Amorim said he would welcome an open conversation if Mainoo were to raise the possibility of a loan move in the January transfer window.

“I’m not going to say what I would say to Kobbie, but I would be really pleased if he came to talk to me about that,” Amorim explained. “I just want my players to be happy, and I understand that every individual has their own goals.

“Frustration doesn’t help anybody. Right now the focus is Bournemouth, and we will see what happens.”

The United boss added that while he has spoken with Mainoo in the past, no recent discussions about a loan move have taken place.

“I had some conversations with him, especially last year, and with other players, but about that subject, no,” Amorim said. “I am completely open to talk.”