Rúben Amorim believes that the struggles he has faced in his first three months at Manchester United have made him a more complete manager. The Portuguese coach took over in November and has managed only five wins in 16 Premier League matches, leaving the team in 14th place.
One of those victories came against Fulham, who will visit Old Trafford for an FA Cup fifth-round clash. United, the current holders of the competition, have a crucial week ahead, with a Europa League last-16 first-leg fixture against Real Sociedad on Thursday. Off the pitch, the club is undergoing major structural changes, including staff redundancies, while performances on the field remain underwhelming.
Amorim admitted that results have been poor but emphasized that adversity has contributed to his growth. “Better is hard to say because I’m not winning games, so I don’t feel like I’m a better coach,” he acknowledged. “I lived here for three months, I lived certain things. I’m a more complete manager because sometimes you need to lose and be in a poor situation to grow.”
The manager reflected on the personal lessons he has learned during his tenure, stating, “I felt that during these three months, I’m not going to die if I lose three games in a row. That is something that I learned here and I can cope to maintain the energy. I’m learning a lot about myself and the players, but I prefer to win games.”
Amorim has remained committed to his preferred 3-4-3 formation as he evaluates which players can adapt to his system. A major squad overhaul is expected in the summer, but he understands that departures must come before reinforcements. He has no hesitation in making difficult decisions regarding players who do not fit his plans.
“That is not a difficult situation because everybody understands that in football, sometimes you stay, sometimes you have to move on,” he explained. “If I know how to explain, I can do it, and I like to do it because I want to be clear. When I was a player, I tried to use all that experience. When you are honest with someone, they can take it. In the beginning, it’s hard, but they will understand. I’m quite honest with my players, and they already know that sometimes they have to move on at the end of the season.”
Meanwhile, the club’s restructuring efforts have led to significant cost-cutting measures, with 250 redundancies already implemented and another 200 planned. Even free lunches for staff have been discontinued as part of the changes.
Despite these difficulties, Amorim remains optimistic about the direction the club is heading. “I see a clear path,” he said. “I see that from the board also, because they are doing difficult changes that are not popular, but they are doing them because they have a vision—I think that is clear.”
He acknowledged the importance of results to justify the changes being made. “In the future, we need to show some results, because you can do a lot of changes, but if you don’t have results, people don’t feel confident and happy. Now it’s hard, but we are doing things to achieve success in the future.”
The manager has already made bold decisions regarding key players, with Marcus Rashford and Antony no longer featuring in his plans. “I’m trying to understand everything in my team to help them to be better,” he said. “When I feel that something is going to harm the team, I’m quite ruthless. I know for sure that we are not going to win with certain behaviours. I’m trying to make a balance of everything and just help the team.”
