Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford says he is ready for a new challenge. AFP Photo

Paul Kennedy

After Manchester United lost to Bournemouth last week, their second home defeat under new manager Ruben Amorim, the press conference was held in the designated media room inside Old Trafford.

Midway through the questions, the Portuguese manager was interrupted when water started coming through the ceiling.

The leak was caught on camera and shared on social media with water seen dripping from a gap while Amorim spoke about the match.

It’s far too early to suggest the roof has fallen in on Amorim’s reign, but it’s fair to say he’s not had the best of starts.

By the time this column is printed, United will have played struggling Wolves, a match they may well win.

But, rather like the leaks at Old Trafford, a victory would be simply papering over the cracks or putting a plaster on a gaping gunshot wound.

Amorim has an awful lot of work to do. His style of play, so successful in his last job at Sporting Lisbon, is taking time to resonate with his current squad.

A win in the early hours of this morning against Wolves wouldn’t hide the fact that results have been very poor.

And then there’s the issue of Marcus Rashford.

The Manchester-born forward is 27 now. He’s no longer the fresh-faced youngster with bags of talent that burst onto the scene in 2016 with all guns blazing.

Last week in an interview with the very well respected journalist Henry Winter, Rashford admitted he was ready for a new challenge.

With the January transfer window opening in a few days, chances are he may well have played his last game for the club he joined as a seven-year-old two decades ago.

Having cost nothing, United will surely cash-in on the want away striker. Plus word on the street is that his weekly wage is astronomical, so plenty of money saved if he does move on.

But where does this all leave Amorim?

I’m sure he’ll want to splash the cash but the mid-season transfer window is notoriously difficult to ensure the best of bargains. And I wonder just how much money is actually in United's kitty.

Tough times ahead and I don’t see any quick fix, and I’m talking about the team, not the leaky roof in the press room at Old Trafford. VNS