Ruben Amorim warns chaotic Man United to brace for ‘rollercoaster’ ride
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Amad Diallo is Manchester United's biggest weapon at the moment after scoring a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Southampton.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LONDON – Manager Ruben Amorim has warned that Manchester United’s season will continue to be a “roller-coaster” ride following a dramatic 3-1 victory against basement club Southampton, as his players learn to adapt to his system.
Southampton were on the brink of a shock English Premier League win at Old Trafford on Jan 16 before Amad Diallo scored a late 12-minute hat-trick to turn the game on its head.
It followed a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Liverpool and a morale-boosting FA Cup win against Arsenal.
Amorim, who took over from the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, had previously warned that a “storm will come” ahead of a run of six defeats in eight games.
And the Portuguese boss forecast more turbulence following a sub-par display against the struggling Saints.
Despite the win, United – who host Brighton & Hove Albion in the league on Jan 19, are still languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
“It’s going to be hard until the end of the season,” Amorim said.
“It’s going to be a little bit of that roller coaster. Then it depends on the time you have to train.
“We are still in the (FA) Cup and we have Uefa games for the Europa League.
“Then it’s important also to focus on next Thursday (when Scottish giants Rangers visit Old Trafford) to win and to try to be in that top eight.
“We had seven trainings together in 14, 15 games. It’s really hard, but we have to continue and try to win it. Sometimes playing good, sometimes playing bad.”
The 39-year-old accepted that his side did not play well against Southampton and indicated several players were tired, including Manuel Ugarte, whose own goal late in the first half gave the visitors the lead.
“Ugarte was tired because he did a great job against Liverpool. If you look at the game against Arsenal, maybe Ugarte and Bruno (Fernandes) were the best players... (Fatigue) happens with all players in the Premier League,” he insisted.
Amorim was also asked about striker Rasmus Hojlund’s lack of goals after the Dane scored just seven times in 25 appearances this season.
“I think it’s a team problem. You can see it, it’s not just from now, it’s from the past. So we have clearly a lack of goals and a lack of threat,” he said.
“I think when we started this journey together, Rasmus was the player that was always scoring.
“So he can come back in the next game, we will see. But I think it’s more a team problem than a Rasmus problem.”
United, following their FA Cup win over Arsenal and their victory over Southampton, can now aim to win three in a row in all competitions for the first time under Amorim. However, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 consecutive games.
It will also likely be another tough start against Brighton, as their last 11 Premier League goals against the Seagulls have been scored after the interval. REUTERS, AFP.
