Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says the vast expense of bringing him in will not shield him from the sack if he fails to produce a winning team.
While United sources stress there is total support for the new boss inside Old Trafford, recent results and performances have made some fans nervous.
Away supporters booed their team at the final whistle of the 2-0 defeat by Wolves at Molineux on Boxing Day, and with many exiting quickly it left the players to acknowledge hundreds of empty yellow seats before heading to the tunnel.
“The manager of Manchester United can never, no matter what, be comfortable,” said Amorim.
“You can argue I have been here one month and I’ve had four training [sessions], but we are not winning. That is the reality.”
Amorim has collected seven points from seven Premier League games since taking charge last month – only one more point than fellow Portuguese Vitor Pereira, who has won both his games since becoming Wolves boss.
Five defeats in Amorim’s first 10 games is the worst record of any new United manager since Walter Crickmer, who stepped up from being club secretary in the 1930s.
It is not what was anticipated when chief executive Omar Berrada flew to Lisbon to offer Amorim the job in the wake of Erik ten Hag’s dismissal on 28 October.
United were so convinced in Amorim, they paid Sporting £10.6m in compensation to get him out of his contract.
But Amorim does not believe that will save him if results do not improve.
“I know that if we don’t win, regardless if they pay the buyout or not, every manager is in danger,” he said. “I like that because that is the job.”
The five-day gap between the home game with Newcastle on 30 December and an immensely difficult visit to old rivals and title favourites Liverpool on 5 January is the longest spell Amorim will have had to work with his players since his appointment.
He will have another spare week after that, then three more midweek games to work with a squad United sources say is not expected to change much in personnel during the January transfer window, because of the club’s tight Profit and Sustainability position.
Evidently, it would have been far easier for such a dramatic transition to take place during the summer.
Amorim did ask if his switch could be delayed until the end of the season but that request was rejected by Berrada.
“There’s no point talking or thinking about that,” said Amorim. “I’m here and have to focus on the job.
“It’s part of football to have these difficult moments. I already knew it was going to be tough. You expect to win more games, to have players with more confidence to sell the idea and to work and improve things.
“At this moment it’s really hard. We have to survive to have time and then to improve the team.”