Ruben Amorim: Manchester United boss 'not crazy' about club's ambition after derby draw - 'Everybody here is suffering'
AFNEWS reporter
Apr 07, 2025
Ruben Amorim: Manchester United boss 'not crazy' about club's ambition after derby draw - 'Everybody here is suffering'
Ruben Amorim says he is in a "rush" to turn around Manchester United. A 0-0 draw against Manchester City on Sunday means The Red Devils have won only six of their 20 league games since the new manager took charge in November. He believes that was a better performance from his side, but that they can still improve in "everything" and "everywhere" as they face up to a bottom-half finish.
Ruben Amorim says he is in a rush to turn Manchester United's fortunes around.
The manager has won just six of his 20 league matches since replacing Erik ten Hag in November.
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The latest of those was a 0-0 draw against Manchester City on Sunday, that leaves The Red Devils in 13th place in the top flight.
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Amorim saw improvements from the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest five days earlier, and believes the building blocks are being put in place for the 2025/26 campaign.
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"At the moment, it's still really hard, every day," he said in his post-match press conference. "But you can imagine that next season is going to be so much different.
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"That's why I always say that I'm in a rush, because we are suffering a lot. Everybody here is suffering a lot with all these changes.
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"We have to show something in the next year. Right away. If not, I have a feeling that all this that is happening in this moment, we are not taking advantage.
"I think that is [an] important thing. In the good days, you think like that.
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"It was important to come mid-season, to work with the players, to improve the players as soon as possible, to start the next season with a better idea of what we want.
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"Today was that day that we played well. Of course, you can feel it in the game, it's not there in the top, top level, the intensity, but you can also understand the context of both teams in this moment."
United's position in the Premier League table means they are set to miss out on continental football next season, unless they win the UEFA Europa League.
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They are through to the quarter-finals of that competition, and the first leg of their last-eight tie against Lyon is on Thursday.
2014/15 was their only season without playing in a European tournament since 1990.
Amorim will be hoping the improvements he saw against rivals City continue in France this week, but he admits there is still plenty of work to be done.
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"Everything, everywhere". "I think we need to improve in every aspect of the game. Build up, transition, decision - clearly - in the final third.
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"Every player can improve. They are here because they showed something at other clubs. They have the quality.
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"We are still a team that is sometimes more dangerous in transition. We have to spend more time near the final third to have more opportunities.
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"I can see progress. I can see the connections are a little bit better. You can feel the players are a little bit more comfortable to the positions.
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"We can find players between the lines. We are more calm with the ball. So we are better, but we have a lot to improve."
The Portuguese also said that if things do not turn around quickly, he could be looking for a new club.
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"I'm not naive," he continued. "I'm not crazy. I can see the moment that we are [in]. I can look to the opponents and I understand there is a big gap.
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"As a leader, I cannot say that we are going to take a lot of time. Even if you want to bring someone, if you want to push our players, you have to show some hurry.
"You have to feel that urgency to do something better, because you do not have a lot of time in a club like ours. We are in a rush, that is clear."
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'Fernandes is our Salah' - Amorim
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of the few players from this United side to be consistently praised this season.
Amorim took time to commend his compatriot, comparing his impact on the team to that of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.
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Speaking to MUTV, he explained: "That [worth to United] is clear, but you can look at the other teams, they have players that are essential. If you look at Liverpool, it's Salah, the difference that he makes. Bruno is our player in that department.
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"So, he's doing quite well. Again, everybody has to improve and Bruno has to step up a little bit more next year because he has a really big role."
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The manager also looked ahead to United's Europa League clash with Lyon, reiterating the importance of the competition and their chance to clinch a UEFA Champions League spot by winning that competition.
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"It's really important. Again, it's not the most important thing for Manchester United because we have a lot of things to do, but you can see it, in this season, the Europa League is really important.
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"We can reach the Champions League next season, we can win something, so we are going to do everything to try to go to the next stage."
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— AFNEWS reporter