Ruben Amorim warned everyone that a "storm was coming" at Manchester United and even reaffirmed that ominous expectation after a 4-0 win against Everton earlier this month. The storm has arrived, but it is even more fierce than Amorim would've predicted. United are in just as damaging a crisis as their city rivals.
Boxing Day's 2-0 defeat at Wolves was the Red Devils' third in a row and fifth in seven matches in all competitions. Amorim's side have conceded first in all seven of those matches.
Express Sport looks at three ways United could bounce back from their recent woes ahead of a daunting stretch of fixtures across the new year.
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Marcus Rashford restored
Amorim is holding firm on his strict Marcus Rashford stance, suggesting after full-time at Molineux that his continued absence indicates whether his training levels have improved.
The Portuguese boss has snubbed Rashford in fourth successive squads, and he isn't expected to feature when Newcastle United visit Old Trafford on Monday, either.
But United sorely lack attacking quality and while it makes sense to omit a player likely to leave the club next month, Rashford could provide it.
Amorim's side have failed to score in back-to-back games against Bournemouth and Wolves. It's about to get even more challenging to find the net with meetings with Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal next.
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Early left-wing-back signing
United supporters are understandably tired of watching their team without a natural left-back in sight.
Tyrell Malacia has looked miles off it since returning from an 18-month injury lay-off this season. He is fit but didn't travel to Wolves.
Meanwhile, Luke Shaw hasn't started a match for United since February and remains unavailable after suffering his latest setback a few weeks ago.
Finances are tight, but United must do what they can to bolster their ranks with a new starting left-wing-back early into the January transfer window. Diogo Dalot isn't that.
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Stick with the system
The worst thing Amorim could do is panic and abandon his philosophy in search of short-term results to steady the ship.
Erik ten Hag adopted that method almost instantly, and while he lifted two domestic cups in as many seasons, progress was minimal.
Amorim has made it clear that he won't do the same, which is reassuring. But pressure grows with every defeat, and there have been too many.
Instilling a new style of play on a mediocre squad with matches every three days is proving to be a near-impossible task. He will reap the rewards down the line if he persists, though.
