Ruben Amorim admits he had doubts about his future during his first year at Manchester United.
Amorim will mark the one-year anniversary of agreeing to become the club’s assistant coach on Saturday, when United visit Nottingham Forest as they look to strengthen their bid for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
The Portuguese manager has had a difficult 12 months since taking charge at Sporting, finishing 15th, losing the Europa League final and winning just one of his first five games this season. This raised doubts as to whether he would be able to commit for another year.
“It’s hard to say that, sometimes at certain moments,” he said. “There were moments when it was hard to handle because we lost so many games. It was very difficult for me because it was Manchester United.”
“The position we were in last year where we put all our attention into the Europa League and didn’t win it. That was huge. I had moments where I struggled a lot and thought maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
“Today it’s the other way around. So you can write this. Today I feel and know it was the best decision of my life. I want to be here but to do that we need to win against Nottingham Forest.”
Amorim is enjoying his best time at the club as United have won five of their last seven league games, including wins over Chelsea and Liverpool, as they bid to qualify for Europe.
But he is not ready to declare that the difficult times are over.
“It’s hard to say. You have to think positive, but you also have to be prepared for the football (up and down) and we’re not the kind of team where I can tell you ‘no, no, no’.
“Now we may lose here and there, but we will maintain. I trust my players more. I think they trust me more. Then the wins will come. And now that everyone is saying that, you can feel how connected they are and how they believe in the manager.
“It’s about winning the game. I saw the same team against Arsenal so it doesn’t change much, so I’m not sure.”
“I think we’re a little better now, but I think it’s really good to always have that mindset and be prepared for things to change. If we feel that way, we’ll pay attention to the details and stay on that path.
“I can say that at this moment we are a better team. We feel it and we know it, and that can help us overcome bad moments better.”
Amorim and Dyche on who will do better at Man Utd
Amorim also responded to comments made by Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche prior to his appointment at the City Ground.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has responded to comments made by Sean Dyche earlier this year when he suggested the Red Devils would win more as manager using a 4-4-2 formation.
While leaving the job in August, Dyche said: “I might get hammered for that, but I’m sure the team will win more games if they play 4-4-2.”
The former Everton manager also said Amorim should be given time to continue his work at the club.
On Thursday, Amorim said: “First of all, it may be true that you can win more if you play 4-4-2, but I always say it will take some time and there are ways of playing that will get better in the future.
“We don’t know that. I can look at Sean Dyche as a manager and a professional. If you’re a professional and you don’t say something very strong, I don’t want to see you. Neither do I.
“I completely understand it’s a different job, I know Sean Dyche is smart and knows how to play the game.
“He understands that watching a game and talking about it is one thing and coaching a team is another.”
Ruben Amorim responded to Sean Dyche’s comment from August.
Even on Thursday, Dyche did not question Amorim as a human being and said, “Clickbait kills everything and changes the whole story.”
He added: “They said, ‘What would be a fair schedule?’ And I said, ‘Half a season to keep doing what he was doing.’ Unfortunately, that’s not the story. We all know that.
“For the sake of scoring I would have suggested that the fundamentals would have worked better. They changed their style, fair play to him, the coaching staff and the players. They only changed their style, not necessarily their beliefs.
“They are playing forward a little faster and playing longer and tighter and they are getting their form back. That is management and coaching.
“That doesn’t mean he’s changed his entire philosophy. It just means he’s adapting that philosophy to the challenge right in front of him. Fair play to him.”
