By Saheed Afolabi
Former Nigeria international, John Obi Mikel, has come to the defense of Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim, despite the club’s ongoing struggles.
Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, has been unable to steer the Red Devils away from their early season woes.
Mikel expressed his disappointment with Manchester United’s humiliating defeat to Newcastle United but insisted that the blame should not fall on Amorim.
“Even if you’re not a United fan, it’s awful to watch them. They’re horrendous. Newcastle would’ve been 3-0 up in 20 minutes. It was a disaster,” Mikel shared on The Obi One Podcast.
However, Mikel was quick to defend the Portuguese manager, saying, “It’s not the manager’s fault at all. Ruben Amorim is a fantastic and brilliant young manager.”
The former Super Eagles captain went on to state that many of Manchester United’s players are simply not up to the standard required to play for such a prestigious club. “I’ve said it when he came into the club – the players in United, I’m sorry, they are nowhere good enough to be playing for Manchester United,” he added.
Mikel’s comments underscore the belief that the challenges facing Manchester United are less about Amorim’s managerial ability and more about the current quality of the squad.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
