Amorim would like United to build up with a genuine three at the back, rather than the four it has been when protection is the first priority. At Anfield, United took the lead because Martinez sensed a moment to press high, snapping into Mohamed Salah to win the ball and then stay up to receive Fernandes’ slipped pass.

Mikel Arteta believes Ruben Amorim in 'better place' at Manchester United than he was early in Arsenal reign - Arteta had never managed before taking the Arsenal job in 2019

Manchester United’s head coach Ruben Amorim follows the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion, at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester,

It's either part of some high-stakes 10-dimensional strategy we cannot fathom or signs of a man with a kamikaze pilot approach to emotional restraint.

Someone needed to say it, to spell out in public how far these Manchester United players had fallen. You just never expected it would be their own manager. Ruben Amorim’s verdict on his hapless team was so savage,