Ruben’s press conference

Ruben’s press conference

Manchester United were knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup at Old Trafford with a penalty shootout defeat to Fulham on Sunday evening.

The visitors took the lead on the cusp of half-time through Calvin Bassey’s header, before Bruno Fernandes levelled the game with fewer than 20 minutes remaining, when he slotted home a Diogo Dalot cross.

Extra-time couldn’t separate the two sides, meaning penalties were required. Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno managed to keep out strikes from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee, sending the Cottagers through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Inside the ground after the game, head coach Ruben Amorim discussed the fitness of Harry Maguire and Alejandro Garnacho, plus much more. Keep scrolling to read everything he had to say in his post-match debrief…

Ruben, that’s obviously disappointing in the sense of you having the chance to win two tournaments, two ways of getting into Europe, and you’ve lost the game and another game at home. What was your reflection on that?

“I think we started quite well with good possession, controlling the game. But we cannot maintain that for all the game. Sometimes we drop the lines to feel more comfortable, trying to use the transitions. I think during the game, we create the best chances. Sometimes we didn’t control the game with the ball. But in the end, with the penalties, [it] can happen for both sides and today was not our day.”

What was the thinking behind Victor Lindelof taking the fourth penalty kick? I know he converted against Brighton a few years ago, but there was maybe some surprise that Zirkzee or Garnacho didn’t take one before him.

“No, he was really confident to take a shot. He’s training really well, scoring in training, so it was an obvious choice.”

Another goalless performance from Rasmus Hojlund, Chido Obi came on. Is there a possible change in who might be the striker going forward at this point in time?

“Anything can happen in the next games. During training, we don’t have a lot of time to train, but we need to see the opposition, feel the moment of the player physically in this moment with a lot of games. Because we are going to start playing Thursday/Sunday, anything can happen. But I will focus on just the next game, you know, try and in that way, like I’m going to change the striker. No, I will choose the best players to win the next match.”

Are you confident there are enough goals in your squad? 

“No, we have a problem with goals. Today, we create situations, but even in the last game, sometimes you felt that just in set-pieces, we are going to make some danger. So, I think the first step is to create situations. Today, we create, but we have to improve that to help our forwards and strikers to score.”

You said you have a problem with goals. Do you have a problem with the number of players you’re going to have available for the trip to Spain? You seemed to pick up more injuries.

“We’ll see. We’ll see. I have to see how is Harry Maguire. We will see. It’s a tough moment in that aspect, but we have to move on. It will be a competitive team on Thursday.”

And how big a blow is this exit in the FA Cup to you and your season?

“It’s always hard because you always have the cups when the league is not going in the right direction, but we need to focus on the big goal, that is improving the team, trying to imagine how we are going to improve the team, not just in this moment, in this season, for the next season. So, we have to think not just in the moment, but also in the future.”

What did you think of Alejandro Garnacho’s performance? He hasn’t scored since November now. Is he lacking confidence? 

“No, I think you can feel it that he has like a little bit that knock in the knee. He’s good in transitions. We need that in the team sometimes. He’s creating and trying to go one against one. He’s also a thing that we lack in this squad. So, I think he’s training well. I think he did well today. So he has to be ready for the next match.” 

You had a situation in the 78th minute, the game’s 1-1. You know, normally, last 10 minutes of a cup tie like this at Old Trafford, you’d expect United to be throwing everything at the opposition, and the goalkeeper’s taking an age to take a goal-kick. And then it happened again a few minutes later, and then again, and the Stretford End are getting really frustrated by it. Is that an instruction?

“It’s also frustration for Andre [Onana]. I think he’s trying to read the team sometimes, and you felt that our team was so tired. We played the last game with one less player the second half. And I feel he’s using that time for us to rest a little bit, to go for the second ball. Sometimes, we push the team forward, then you feel that the players need a little bit of a moment. So I think he wants to help the team, not the opposite thing.”

Ruben, you said after the match that the goal’s still to win the Premier League and then Wayne Rooney said that that’s a bit naive to say that. He’s also said if he was potentially joining the club now, he actually wouldn’t think about joining if he was a foreign player. What’s your reaction to that? Is winning the Premier League still a realistic thing to be talking about right now?

“No, that is the goal. Being naive is to think that we are going to do [it] this season or are going to be the best contender for the next season. So I know that in this moment everybody knows everything. So I know that and this is really easy. I was a pundit when I finished my career, so I know it’s really easy. Our goal is to win the Premier League. Maybe it’s not with me, but our goal as a club, the board, is winning the Premier League. Like we did in the past with all the great glories and the legends of this club. And do we want to do better, and we know that we are in a difficult moment, and I’m not naive. That’s why I am here coaching at 40-years-old, Manchester United.”

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