Ruben Amorim says he was being self-critical when calling his team ‘worst in Manchester United’s history’

MANCHESTER – Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he was criticising himself more than the players when he labelled his team as possibly the worst in the club’s history after the 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Premier League on Jan 19.

United, who have lost seven of their 15 matches since Amorim took charge in November, are 13th in the Premier League. The 39-year-old Portuguese said he was frustrated for not being able to help his players produce better results.

“It’s more for me, I was talking more about me than the players. I’m frustrated sometimes... I should not say in those terms, but it is what it is... sometimes it’s really hard to hide the frustration,” Amorim told reporters on Jan 22 ahead of hosting Rangers in a Europa League clash on Jan 23.

He added that he had said the same thing in a different way in the dressing room earlier.

“So the response was quite normal. Sometimes you’re a young guy and you make mistakes and you improve. I don’t promise that I won’t do it again, I don’t know. So I will try to improve,” Amorim said.

United defender Harry Maguire said the players shared the manager’s frustration and disappointment following the loss at the weekend, which came after they knocked out Arsenal in the FA Cup on penalties and beat Southampton 3-1 in the league at home.

“We had the confidence we could go and beat Brighton. Obviously, we didn’t perform well on the day, so we’ve got to look at ourselves and take responsibility,” Maguire said.

Amorim, who is trying to implement a new playing style at United, said he expected some bad results before it was done.

“I understood that changing things, we are going to suffer. For me, it was really clear. But, in this moment, I don’t want to say that it’s going to take a lot of time. It’s getting really hard,” he said.

“You get loss after loss, it’s really hard for everybody. And I know that sometimes I show that frustration, but I don’t know that we can change that tomorrow.”

Former Rangers and Scotland striker Kris Boyd believes the Glasgow outfit can heap more pressure on Amorim and the Red Devils.

He told Sky Sports: “I think when you look at Rangers, their away form in Europe has been very good (two wins and a draw). It will be a different challenge tomorrow going to Old Trafford...

“You look at Manchester United and they just seem to be all over the place. For Rangers, it’s an opportunity to go and maybe get something... They showed against Tottenham Hotspur that they can cause problems but that was at home.”

Fellow Premier League strugglers Spurs, who drew 1-1 with Rangers in their last European outing in December, travel to Germany to face Hoffenheim. REUTERS