Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim admitted his job has been “so hard” following a 1-0 loss to Tottenham that left his team in 15th place in the Premier League.
The Portuguese coach, overseeing an eighth loss in 12 league games, saw James Maddison’s 13th-minute goal secure victory for Spurs. The Red Devils struggled once again, with Amorim having to manage a 12-man injury list, which led to filling the bench with young players.
In his post-match interview, Amorim shared his frustration but reaffirmed his commitment to his role. “I have a lot of problems,” he told Sky Sports. “My job is so hard, but I am here to continue my work with my beliefs and try to win again.”
Despite trailing for over 70 minutes, Amorim did not make a substitution until the first minute of stoppage time, introducing 17-year-old Chido Obi. He explained his decision to hold off on more changes, prioritizing the development of his young players.
“It’s the hardest competition in the world,” Amorim told BBC Sport. “I am trying to be careful with them. I felt the team was pushing for the goal, and I didn’t want to make unnecessary changes. But they will play.”
Amorim emphasized that his focus remains on improving the team’s position in the league, expressing confidence in his work despite the difficult circumstances. “The place in the table is my worry, I’m not worried about me,” he concluded.
Although United are having to contend with a lengthy injury list, their statistics in the league this season continue to make for miserable reading:
They have lost 12 of their 25 games (W8 D5), their most defeats from their first 25 matches since 1973-74 (13), when they were last relegated from the top flight
They have lost eight of their past 12 games (W3 D1); since the date of the first match in that spell (4 December v Arsenal) the only sides with more defeats are the current bottom two – Leicester (nine) and Southampton (10)
Only Leicester (seven) have scored fewer first-half goals than United (nine). The Red Devils have scored just once in the first half of their past 10 games – a Bruno Fernandes penalty against Brighton in January.
Former United defender Gary Neville feels there has been little sign of things improving since Amorim succeed Erik ten Hag in November.
“The club will have to be patient but I would like to see the performance levels getting higher,” he told Sky Sports.
“This is a very average level that United are performing at week in, week out.
“The best thing about it [Amorim’s time in charge] has been his press conferences.
“This is a really poor United team.”
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp added: “They are so short of top players, it is going to need a lot of time and patience.
“The problem is that when you are a club of the enormity of Manchester United you don’t want to hear that.
“It’s very difficult to watch if you are a Manchester United fan.”
