Ruben Amorim, Manchester United's head coach, faces a pivotal period for his team with four crucial Premier League games on the horizon. Despite a recent morale-boosting 2-0 victory over Sunderland before the international break, which eased pressure following a disheartening defeat to Brentford, the stakes remain incredibly high for the Portuguese manager. This renewed sense of optimism is tempered by the daunting challenges ahead, starting with a trip to Anfield.

Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly expressed long-term confidence in Amorim, suggesting a three-year timeframe for him to implement his vision and drawing parallels with Sir Alex Ferguson's early years. However, Amorim and the team are acutely aware that mere words of support will not suffice if they fail to deliver concrete progress on the pitch. Last season's 15th-place finish, United's worst since the 1973-74 relegation campaign, has set a low bar for improvement, and anything less than a significant upward trajectory will be scrutinized heavily.

The win against Sunderland elevated United to 10th position, only the second time this season they have found themselves in the top half of the table. This victory marked only their tenth win in 34 Premier League games since Amorim took the helm in November of last year, highlighting an inconsistency that has plagued their campaign. Crucially, the team is still searching for their first sequence of back-to-back league victories under his management.

The immediate challenge on Sunday is a formidable away fixture against Liverpool at Anfield (16:30 BST), a venue where United have not secured a win since 2016 and had a dismal scoring record until last season. While expectations for three points from this particular match are low, the subsequent fixtures against Brighton at home, and Nottingham Forest and Tottenham away, are viewed as critical for accumulating a substantial points haul. These games offer a theoretical opportunity to climb the table and contend for European qualification, which is United's stated aim this season and a key metric for demonstrating progress.

Nevertheless, historical performance casts a shadow over these seemingly more winnable games. In each of the past two seasons, Manchester United has suffered defeats at home against Brighton, away at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest, and at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Amorim was at the helm for these exact losses last term, underscoring the necessity for a drastically improved showing this time around. The upcoming fixture list, which includes a review of what transpired in 2024-25 with Amorim's post-match assessments and fan verdicts, indicates that significantly better results are not just hoped for, but expected, in these defining encounters.