Ruben Amorim is in no doubt about the importance of Manchester United’s clash with Southampton on Thursday night, live on TNT Sports and discovery+. In an exclusive interview, the Portuguese manager explained that facing rock-bottom Saints will be “more important” than recent high-profile meetings with rivals Arsenal and Liverpool. “What I want is the same commitment,” Amorim explained.
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Manchester United’s clash with rock-bottom Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday is more important than recent meetings with rivals Liverpool and Arsenal, Ruben Amorim has told TNT Sports.
Amorim led his side to an encouraging 2-2 draw against the league leaders at Anfield on January 5 before edging into the FA Cup fourth round on penalties against the Gunners a week later.
Those results eased the pressure on the recently-installed Portuguese boss, as they ended a four-match losing run in all competitions.
But Amorim explained why he believes the clash with struggling Saints on Thursday – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ – is even bigger for United than their last two high-profile matches.
“For me it’s more important,” he said.
“We will tell more from our players than in the last two games, so I can say that it’s a really, really important game for me and the club.”
Amorim is adamant that the crucial factor will be the attitude of his players, who he wants to see take on the team rooted to the foot of the table with the same attitude they showed against their biggest rivals.
“I know that playing at home, the environment will be different. They will ask different things from the players and the space will be bigger to defend,” Amorim said.
“We are prepared for that. We also have to play better with the ball. Against Liverpool, it was 50/50, but we waited for the game, and we built up from that.
“This game will be a little bit different, but what I want is the same commitment. We can play a different type of game, but the same commitment is the most important thing for me.”
Amorim has faced a difficult start to life in one of football’s most scrutinised jobs since he replaced Erik ten Hag on November 1.
The former Sporting CP manager has struggled to get consistent performances from his side, who are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table, 14 points outside the UEFA Champions League qualifying spots.
But Amorim insists that the struggles he has faced at Old Trafford haven’t come as a surprise.
“The good thing is that I had this process at my former club,” he explained.
“Everything is different – the pressure, the players, the league – but the process is the same. You know what kind of steps you have to do.
“Of course, you don’t control the results, but everything until now was like I was expecting. That is a good thing because I really know what we are doing.
“I think we need to be really calm in every moment, but for me the most important thing is to have this commitment in the way we face the games. [But] it’s not going to be enough [on its own]. We are going to have to play a different kind of football, and I think in the future we can deliver that.”
JANUARY MARKET ‘NOT OUR FOCUS’
With United’s form flagging – they have one win in their last seven league games – the temptation of dipping into the transfer market in January could be great.
But Amorim would not be drawn on potential reinforcements arriving before the end of the month after recent links to PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani.
“It’s not our focus. You guys know that we need to be really good on that, the recruitment, the way we do things,” Amorim said.
“We are changing a lot of things in the middle of the season; we understand our mistakes in the past.
“We have to be really cautious when we think about transfers. It’s not our focus at the moment, but when the window is open, we are a big club that wants to improve the team, to understand the dynamics of the squad. We pay attention to that, but it’s not our focus.”
Amorim has been in the job for more than two months now and was therefore asked to pick a highlight and lowlight of his spell at United so far.
As it happens, he believes that one game in particular neatly sums up the rollercoaster of emotions he has been through so far – the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on December 22.
“I think you can put both (highlight and lowlight) together – the end of Bournemouth. That loss was so hard on me,” he said.
“It was really, really hard. A second defeat in a row, 3-0 again.
“But then at the end you have your friends clapping. It’s so embarrassing and good at the same time.
“You can put them together and feel that this is the club where I want to stay and to win. And then the other feeling is that it’s like we are disappointing a lot of people. So I can put this moment and explain both sides of the coin.”
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