Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has confessed he is “embarrassed” to be in charge of the team in its current state, conceding the Red Devils have fallen into a relegation battle.

Monday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United left Amorim’s side down in 14th in the Premier League table, just seven points clear of the relegation zone with just 22 points to their name after 19 games.

“It is also my fault,” Amorim said after the game. “I think the team is not improving. It is a little bit lost in this moment. It is a bit embarrassing to be Manchester United coach and lose a lot of games. But we have to cope with difficult moments in the life of everybody.”

Asked whether a fifth defeat in six league games had left United in a relegation battle, Amorim confessed: “That is really clear, so we have to fight. It is a really difficult moment, one of the more difficult moments in the history of Manchester United and we have to address it with honesty.”

He continued: “When you have these kind of moments, especially in the big clubs, it’s really hard to turn things around, especially when you don’t have a lot of time to train the basics, to cope with the difficult moments.

“So we have to acknowledge our position, the way you see the league, everybody can beat everybody. So we have to engage and focus on surviving.”

Next up for United is the unenviable prospect of a trip to Anfield to face runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool on 5 January.