Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insists there is no running away from the club's plight after they suffered a 1-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their 12th defeat in 25 Premier League games this season.
The Portuguese has now lost eight of his 14 league games in charge with United down in 15th place in the table.
Not since 1973-74 have United lost 12 of their opening 25 games in a top-flight season and while they look far enough away from the bottom three to avoid the same fate as that team and get relegated, the gloom is deepening at Old Trafford.
"What you see guys and what you discuss every week, I also see. I have a lot of problems, my job is so, so hard here. But I stick with my beliefs," Amorim told Sky Sports in his post-match interview in north London.
"You grow and you learn a lot of things. We just need to face it and not run away, that is my feeling. Today will hurt, it is a tough pain to lose so many games, but then you can change things in a week."
The problems are stacking up for Amorim who suffered a big injury blow in the build-up to the game with news that the versatile Amad Diallo, the one bright spot this season, will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
United's starting line-up at Tottenham was low on top quality with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte also absent from midfield because of injury while the substitutes bench featured eight players aged 19 or under.
Of those only Chido Obi was given a brief appearance, coming on in the 90th minute to replace the tiring Casemiro.
"We have young kids and we have to work with the young kids. We were not expecting so many injuries in one week. These things happen. Let's focus on the next game," he said.
While injuries, and the fact that United failed to strengthen their squad in the January window, can be used in mitigation for Amorim's continued struggle to turn around United's slide, defender Matthijs de Ligt said there could be no excuses.
"We still had a starting eleven with first-team players. It's no excuse. It's not nice when you lose five players in one week, but that's part of football, part of life," he said.
"I believe you have to deserve fortune. At the moment, apparently we don't deserve it. I don't believe in fortune coming out of nowhere."
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