Patrick Dorgu impressed again for Man Utd. (Image: Getty)
Narrowly avoiding a ninth defeat in 13 games offered a slight consolation from another unacceptable performance on Saturday. had outfought and outplayed their lacklustre opponents for over 70 minutes, and the headlines were writing themselves.
United looked certain to bid farewell to Goodison Park with a whimper, producing two more moments of disastrous defending to allow Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure to pounce in the first half.
But full-time morale in the jam-packed away end was better than expected after and Manuel Ugarte struck within eight minutes of each other to stage a late comeback.
Amorim wasted no time in bringing his underperforming players back down to earth during his post-match media duties.
After the 2-2 draw, he told TNT Sports: “If you start the game without the first half and without losing 2-0, it’s a good point. But we need to win three points, and we need to play all the game.
“The worst part is that we have the free [Everton] men, we are losing the ball without any pressure, we are not doing what we are supposed to do, and then it’s really hard.
“And then we suffered two goals from second balls, and it was clear that they would create their chances from second balls. We were soft.”
United have an opportunity to improve the mood next week by reversing their recent home fortunes against Ipswich Town in the Premier League and Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round.
Yet, there is an unshakeable sense that one eye is already on Amorim’s first full season as head coach after inheriting a Frankenstein’s Monster of a squad from in November.
Ruben Amorim turned Sporting around with his signings. (Image: Getty)
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And if there were any reason for optimism about the Everton stalemate, it would be with the summer transfer window in mind.
It was no surprise that the only Amorim recruit wearing red was the player who looked most at home fulfilling the demands that continue to bamboozle most of the dressing room.
Patrick Dorgu was excellent, and it was noticeable how much trust he had already generated among his new team-mates.
On just his third United appearance, the 20-year-old took 89 touches at left-wing-back and was often the visitors’ most dangerous attacking outlet.
Only Fernandes touched the ball more (109), and the Portuguese captain profited from Dorgu’s carrying ability that earned the free-kick from which he scored on 72 minutes.
Poor recruitment has fuelled United’s decline since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 retirement and is among INEOS’ priorities to improve with a more measured approach.
In the data-driven modern game, the 20-time English champions are in another universe to most of their Premier League counterparts. Not in a good way.
The mish-mash roster Amorim is working with is the result of two-and-a-half years of aimless transfer activity driven by a coach who was never going to last.
INEOS and Amorim will use the same data-driven strategy in what is a monumental summer that will ultimately lay the foundations of whether the latter is to be a success.
Otherwise, the 40-year-old will become the sixth coach to lose his job after a couple of years, if not sooner, if United are in the bottom half of the Premier League this time next year.
But Dorgu is already serving as proof that young players from overseas can make an instant impact if they are the correct fit for the system in which they’re used.
The sample size is minuscule, yet it’s easy to envisage more signings of the same ilk transforming a dressing room that has exposed previous decision-makers just as much as the players themselves.