Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim slams players after shocking Grimsby Town Cup exit

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim says his players "spoke for me really loud" after they slumped to one of their most embarrassing losses in the club's history on Thursday morning AEST.

United was beaten 12-11 in a penalty shootout by Grimsby Town, a team from the fourth tier of English football, in the second round of the League Cup. United had trailed 2-0 before scoring two late goals to snatch a 2-2 draw and force a shootout.

In a dig at his own players, Amorim praised Grimsby for being "the only team that was on the pitch".

"The best players lose because a team can win against any group of players," Amorim said, "and I think the [United] team and the players spoke really loud today, so that's it. We lost. The best team won."

Amorim accused his team of playing "without any intensity".

"We were completely lost and it's hard to explain, and that's why I think they spoke really loud," he said.

Asked what he meant by that specific comment, Amorim said: "I think it was clear for everybody what happened today."

It was an embarrassing new low for Amorim and United, who were only forced to play in the second round of the League Cup for the first time since 2014 due to failing to qualify for any European competitions last season.

Amorim's formation has been a sticking point through the early weeks of the season, and an image of him frantically trying to reorganise magnets on United's bench with the team trailing 2-0 in the 62nd minute went viral on social media during the match.

One fan's photoshopped image saw Amorim's magnet board replaced by Pokémon cards, while another saw the magnet board become a folio of Panini stickers.

It is an image that is likely to be one of the defining shots of what has been a wretched run for Amorim since he left Sporting Lisbon to take up the United job after Erik ten Hag's sacking last season.

"We have a game on the weekend [against Burnley] and then we have two weeks [during the international break]. And we will sort things out," Amorim said when asked where the Grimsby result left him and his team.

Amorim guided United to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season — its lowest ever in the competition — and has yet to earn a win in three games this season, after a loss to Arsenal and a draw at Fulham in the league.

AP/ABC

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