Ruben Amorim reaction says it all during Man Utd heavy defeat to Man City

Ruben Amorim was slapping his thighs in frustration midway through the first half as his Manchester United side trailed. That has become a familiar sight during his 10-month tenure. Despite claiming that United were a "better team" than last season, his players once again failed to deliver when it mattered most. The enduring gulf in class between United and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City was starkly highlighted in the derby, with City ruthlessly demolishing their local rivals.

Despite a £236million summer spending spree, United fans are still waiting for significant improvement. Basic errors continue to plague the team, leading to a disappointing performance reminiscent of last season's 15th-place finish. According to Amorim, failing to qualify for Europe was a blessing in disguise, as it would allow him and his coaching staff more time to work on improvements.

Despite having more time to work on tactics, principles and patterns of play, United's performances five games into the new season have been disappointing. The team appears as disjointed and ragged as they did last season, repeating the same mistakes and losing matches as a result.

City's first goal came after Luke Shaw shied away from a challenge with Jeremy Doku, who then found Phil Foden free to score with a header, thanks to Bruno Fernandes' failure to track his run.

United's players were also at fault for City's second goal. Bryan Mbeumo conceded an unnecessary throw-in, which led to City scoring.

Doku found Erling Haaland, who managed to slip between Shaw and Matthijs De Ligt before executing a perfect chip over Altay Bayindir.

Even when United seemed poised to score, such as in the 61st minute when Bryan Mbeumo sent a stunning volley towards the far corner of the net, they were denied by City's new keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

While United may have offloaded players like Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony, who were seen as negative influences, a deeper issue persists within the squad. If Amorim cannot improve the team's fortunes soon, he will pay the price.