Amorim: I ‘more or less’ know my best XI

Amorim: I ‘more or less’ know my best XI

Ruben Amorim says he “more or less” knows his preferred Manchester United starting XI.

The early weeks of the new head coach’s tenure have been characterised by heavy rotation, as the Portuguese looks to manage his players’ workloads – particularly those who have recently returned from injury lay-offs.

But ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest (17:30 GMT), in the customary pre-match conference, Amorim admitted that he was getting closer to knowing the ideal line-up for his 3-4-2-1 system.

Yet the 39-year-old also warned fans that the rotation was likely to continue, due to the unforgiving schedule of matches that awaits United during the build-up to the Christmas and new year period.

Part one: Press conference v Forest Video

Part one: Press conference v Forest

Press conference part one | Ruben Amorim discusses Kath Phipps, the latest team news and Saturday’s match…

“More or less [I am close to knowing my best line-up], yes,” began the boss. 

“You have an idea, but then you have the problem of players returning without training and then you have to manage the load. So you also have the same problem. 

“But then you have to imagine and understand what kind of player you have. Bruno Fernandes, you feel it, against Arsenal, in the end, he was a little bit tired, but you know he is going to recover very well. Manuel Ugarte, I’ve known for so long; I know that he needs sometimes a little bit more time. 

“So we are in that process, to know the players and trying to manage that, but we’re getting closer to an idea, yes.”

Amorim said he had learned more valuable lessons from the Reds’ 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in midweek, but also acknowledged that he saw some of the same kinks that were present in the more positive 4-0 win over Everton last weekend.

However, irrespective of the issues that need to be worked on, United’s head coach said fans must see effort and hard work at all times, even when things are not going smoothly.

“We have to understand our supporters,” he explained. “In just two weeks and four matches, they just want to see effort in the first moments. And then to win games, after a while, with effort in winning games. 

“They will want to see a dominant team. These are the phases we have to follow. This one is the easy one: effort, full effort, full sprints back, full sprints forwards. It is a key point for us and the focus is a lot on that.” 

Reaffirming a theme that has been persistent in each of his press conferences and interviews so far, Amorim once again stressed his conviction in each member of the squad.

“I trust in every one of them,” he eulogised. “What I’m understanding in training, in games, is each position that they play better. What kind of situation is better for one guy to another. These things, I need to be close to them, I need to see games from the dugout, as you say, not on TV. 

“So I’m learning and I think we, as staff, are learning really fast what they are able to do or not. We are trying to find out everything in a fast pace.”

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