Ruben Amorim Hits Back at Criticism From Former Man Utd Stars
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has confessed the team’s poor performances have been deserving of criticism, but warned vocal former players that they do not understand the current landscape at Old Trafford.
A number of famous faces have taken aim at Amorim in recent months. Paul Scholes argued the current boss does not “get” what United means, while Wayne Rooney claimed to have “no faith” in Amorim to turn things around. Roy Keane, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville have all questioned the Portuguese tactician.
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Those former players come from the most successful periods in United history—39 Premier League titles combined among those mentioned—and Amorim admitted he is not surprised to see players with such fond memories of the club voice concerns over a manager who has won just 24 of his 58 games in charge.
“I think it’s normal,” Amorim said. “I think it’s a fact that me, as a manager of Manchester United, I think we are underachieving. We should have more points, especially this season. So I take that naturally.
“Sometimes they don’t have all the information and they see Manchester United with the standards that they lived here, always winning. So it’s hard for them to see their club in this situation.”
Amorim: Results at Heart of All Criticism
During his 13 months at the helm, Amorim has faced no shortage of criticism. His controversial 3-4-2-1 setup has divided opinion, while the latest subject of controversy stems from his limited use of midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, the last remaining academy graduate in his squad.
In defence of his tactics, Amorim has previously insisted those doubters all seem to go quiet when the team start winning games, and he once again argued that most of the criticism directed at him over a whole host of issues would stop if results picked up.
“I think not winning is the issue,” Amorim claimed. “Of course you can point to a lot of things and they point to a lot of things that we need to improve, but the big issue is not winning. If I’m winning I can go to the games on a horse, arrive there, playing with just two defenders and everything will be fine.
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“The problem is that, me as a manager, I’m not doing good enough and that is a fact also and I can accept that. So that is the only problem. For them it’s that Manchester United is not winning and is not in the position that it’s supposed to be.”
Amorim’s theory could be put to the test on Monday. The Red Devils welcome Bournemouth to Old Trafford chasing a victory which could see them end the gameweek in fifth, while a draw would see the Red Devils climb above Liverpool up into sixth.
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