Ruben Amorim apologised to Manchester United fans after a humiliating League Cup defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby Town on Wednesday.

United fought back from 2-0 down, levelling through Harry Maguire’s 89th-minute header after a poor first-half performance at Blundell Park.

But a marathon penalty shootout ended 12-11 in Grimsby’s favour, with Bryan Mbeumo striking the bar on United’s final kick.

Grimsby, dominant in spells, fully deserved their victory as they outfought and outplayed their Premier League visitors.

Mr Amorim, under pressure since taking over last season, hinted at deeper problems within the team after another poor showing.

“The players spoke really loud today about what they want,” he said, suggesting a lack of desire from his squad.

Asked to explain what went wrong, Mr Amorim admitted his side lacked urgency and was simply not ready for the battle.

“Everything. The way we started, we were not even here. Everything is so important in this club. We should do so much better,” he said.

“I just have to say sorry to our fans,” the Portuguese added.

Mr Amorim admitted he would reflect during the upcoming international break as pressure continues to mount on his position.

“It doesn’t matter that we lost on penalties. Football was fair today. The best team won,” he said.

With United out of the League Cup, their realistic hopes of silverware now rest on the FA Cup campaign.

“I’m the manager. It’s my job to understand what happened. Again, I’m really sorry for our fans,” Mr Amorim told reporters. That is more than a result. That is the biggest problem in the team. It was really clear today. I would like to say very smart things and important things. I have nothing to say.

“That’s the biggest problem too. Seeing the same mistakes and having nothing to say. I’m really sorry for our fans,” he said.

Mr Amorim said expectations were unrealistic and the club’s issues could not be fixed in one transfer window.

“It’s too much sometimes. You cannot change everything in one summer. But you need to win games,” he said. “You need to avoid this kind of performance. I think this is a little bit the limit,” he added.

Goalkeeper Andre Onana, returning to the starting line-up, was at fault for both of Grimsby’s goals on the night. He was beaten at his near post for the opener and failed to claim a cross that led to Tyrell Warren’s tap-in.

But Mr Amorim refused to single out the Cameroonian for criticism.

“It’s not about Andre. With all due respect, this is a fourth-division team. It’s not the goalkeeper. It’s more than that,” he said. 

(Reuters/NAN)