Ruben Amorim effectively has three games to save his job as Manchester United boss. United have taken just four points from their opening four Premier League games this season to stand 14th in the table.

Amorim has won just eight of his 31 league games since taking over at United 10 months ago and is said to be losing the confidence of some of his senior players.

Although the United hierarchy insist Amorim retains their full backing and they have no plans to replace him, it is understood they will assess the situation and the trajectory of the team after their next three games.

United, who lost Sunday's Manchester derby 3-0 at local rivals City, host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday, followed by a trip to Brentford and a home encounter with newly-promoted Sunderland, before the two-week international break.

Amorim knows he is under huge pressure after such a poor start to the new season, on the back of last term, when United limped to 15th place under him, their worst league position for 51 years.

United travel to arch rivals and champions Liverpool in their first game following the international break, and club chiefs will be under pressure to replace Amorim before then if there is no upturn in form and results before that daunting trip to Anfield.

Despite privately insisting they still have faith in Amorim, United's football leadership team gave the same assurances to Erik ten Hag, before pulling the plug on him nine league games into last season.

United's league fixture with Sunderland will be their eighth of the season and Amorim is acutely aware he will continue to come under fire and test the faith of those who hired him if he cannot take the team on a winning run.

"It's not a record that you should have in Manchester United," he said after the defeat at The Etihad. "There are a lot of things that you have no idea what happened during these months, but I accept that.

"But I'm not going to change. When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man."

Among the candidates to replace Amorim are Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, former England head coach Gareth Southgate, Fulham's Marco Silva and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola.

Ex-Tottenham boss and current USA head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, linked with the United job when Ten Hag was appointed, is also in the frame to take over at Old Trafford, should Amorim be sacked.

Five candidates to replace Ruben Amorim with three-game run to decide his Man Utd fate - The Mirror