Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said the reason he has started talking about the possibility of relegation is because the club needs a shock.

Amorim's side were beaten 2-0 at home to Newcastle United on Monday, which was their fifth defeat in their last six league games.

That result has left Manchester United 14th in the Premier League table, their lowest position at the turn of the year in the league since 1989, and closer to the relegation zone than the top six in terms of points.

United are seven points ahead of third-bottom Ipswich Town, while they trail sixth-placed Manchester City by nine points.

"People are tired of excuses in this club. Sometimes I talk about relegation because our club needs a shock. It's a shock," said Amorim.

The Newcastle result was United's third consecutive league defeat at Old Trafford, which is the first time that has happened since February 1979.

United were last relegated, meanwhile, in the 1973-74 season. Their current run of six straight defeats in all competitions in December represents only the third time in the club's history since they have lost that many matches in a month.

"When you have these kind of moments, especially at the big clubs, it is really hard to turn things around," said Amorim.

"Especially when you don't have a lot of time to train the basics, to cope with the difficult moments. We have to acknowledge our position, the way you see the league, everybody can beat everybody. We have to win games and focus on surviving."

Amorim was later asked if he felt it was embarrassing that a club of United's stature were at threat of relegation and shouldered some of the blame himself.

"It's also my fault in this moment because I think the team has not improved," he said.

"It's a little bit lost in this moment. It's a little bit embarrassing to be Manchester United coach and to lose a lot of games. But we have to cope with the difficult moments."

Since his first game in charge against Ipswich, only Southampton (seven) have lost more games in all competitions than United among Premier League clubs.

They face league leaders Liverpool on Sunday, having lost 3-0 in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in September.