Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim insists he knew he had a difficult task ahead of him when he signed for the club.
The 39-year-old replaced Erik ten Hag who endured a torrid start to the campaign. But aside from last weekend’s resounding 4-0 win over Everton, the results have yet to improve under the guidance of the Portuguese tactician.
Amorim was slapped with his first defeat as Man United manager on Wednesday, as Arsenal’s set-piece prowess made the difference at the Emirates.
On Saturday, the newly-appointed coach suffered his first league loss on home soil since February 2023, with Nottingham Forest emerging victorious by three goals to two.
Nevertheless, Amorim claims the rough start to life at Carrington shouldn’t come as a shocker, especially considering the baptism of fire he’s been given due to the packed schedule.
“It’s not a surprise because we come in the middle of a lot of games,” said the former Sporting CP coach in his post-match interview with Sky Sports.
“It’s really disappointing for the fans, after so many times with disappointment, but we are here to do a job and will continue doing the same things to imrpove the team.”
Rubem Amorim tries to justify tough start to Man United tenure
Amorim also explained the reasons behind the changes he made throughout the course of the match.
“Bruno [Fernandes] was too tired and I wanted [Mason] Mount to play that position of second midfielder who opens a bit on the left.
“Josh [Zirkzee] plays with Rasmus [Hojllund] to have combinations, [Leny] Yoro goes off because we can’t give him too many minutes.
“We put Harry Maguire on because of set-pieces, to control more who was winning all the first balls, the only way to attack Nottingham was transitions, to try and win first and second balls. When Harry was on the pitch he won all the first balls.
