Ruben Amorim proud of sticking to his beliefs as Manchester United begin to turn a corner

LONDON – Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim described his first year at the Old Trafford club as a roller-coaster journey on Oct 30, but took heart in staunchly sticking to his principles as the English Premier League club finally show signs of progress.

After enduring heavy criticism for his formations and tactics,

United finally won three games in a row for the first time

under the Portuguese manager, who in November will mark his one-year anniversary at the club.

United sit sixth in the standings with 16 points after nine games, six points behind leaders Arsenal and a point ahead of reigning champions Liverpool.

“It was a journey, a big journey. It was really tough. Good moments, bad moments. I learnt a lot, that is really important,” Amorim told reporters ahead of a Nov 1 trip to Nottingham Forest.

“I learnt that even in my lower moments, I can stick with the thing I believe and that is a good thing for anyone to understand.

“Today, the answer is different from three weeks ago, so it is important to understand that. It is one of the big honours of my life to be here and I want to continue here for many years.”

Forest are managed by Sean Dyche, their third manager of the season and one of Amorim’s critics, with the Englishman saying earlier in 2025 that the Portuguese would have won more games with a 4-4-2 formation.

“I always say that I have a way of playing that is going to take a while and then in the future it is going to be better,” Amorim said.

“We don’t know that. I can look at Sean Dyche as a manager and a pundit. If you are a pundit and you don’t say very strong things, I don’t want to watch you. I am the same. I can completely understand that it is a different job.

“I know Sean Dyche is smart and he knows how to play the game. He understands that there is one thing seeing the game and talking about it. It is another thing to coach a team.”

Asked about his previous comments about Amorim, Dyche said on Oct 30: “I didn’t question him as a person and I would never do that. Clickbait kills anything.

“The basics may have worked better was my suggestion and they have changed their style, so fair play to him. They are playing quicker forward and longer, a bit tighter in getting back into their shape. That’s management, that’s coaching.”

Amorim said he was unsure if injured defender Harry Maguire would be fit for the game, while Lisandro Martinez is not ready, even though he has returned to full training after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in February.

Dyche, meanwhile, said striker Chris Wood, wide players Oleksandr Zinchenko and Dilane Bakwa, fullback Ola Aina and goalkeeper Angus Gunn will miss the match through injury.

Like Amorim, United sporting director Jason Wilcox believes that the Red Devils are heading in the “right direction”.

Wilcox’s appointment in 2024 was one of a number of changes brought about by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe acquiring a minority stake in the English giants.

United finished 15th in the Premier League during Ratcliffe’s first full season in charge of football operations and missed out completely on European football for only the second time in 30 years.

However, Wilcox sees positive progress, even if there will be more “bumps in the road” in the club’s quest to get back competing to win the Premier League and Champions League.

“We are going in the right direction,” Wilcox said in an interview with the club’s in-house media.

“We have a clear plan. I am sure there are going to be bumps in the road, but we have just got to make sure we stay calm irrespective of the noise outside.”

“For us to get in the top four and consistently challenge for Champions League places, win Champions Leagues, win Premier Leagues, we have got to invest in the squad,” added Wilcox.

“We have got to buy the right players. The right players who are talented but also who can deal with the pressure, who can take the squad forward.

“It is not always about just signing elite talent. They have got to have the right character and be somebody who can bring something different to the team.” REUTERS, AFP