Amorim: What I like most about Sesko

Ruben Amorim knows Benjamin Sesko will be relieved to be off the mark for Manchester United but feels another aspect of his play has been most impressive.

The summer import from RB Leipzig scored our goal at Brentford and, although it counted for little in the end during a 3-1 defeat, it was one big positive to take from last weekend’s game.

Although it was his seventh appearance in total, he has been introduced carefully since the summer transfer.

It was only his fourth league start and, in one of those, he was withdrawn at half-time due to Casemiro’s red card against Chelsea.

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“The most important thing is to win games,” the boss told MUTV in his exclusive club media interview, ahead of the Sunderland game.

“That will give confidence for everybody in the team.

“Of course, he was anxious for his first goal. The thing I like most in Ben is, even when things are hard for him with the ball, he is working hard in every minute of the game.

“That is the most important thing in the moment.”

Amorim also stressed how important it is to be focused for the entire 90 minutes, plus stoppage time, against the Black Cats, in a bid to ensure a positive frame of mind heading into another international break.

“It’s really important [to start well],” he said. “But what is more important is to understand the game has 90 minutes, it has different moments. That is the thing we need to learn. 

“Sometimes, we start really well. Sometimes, we have a problem that we had at Brentford, every time we suffer a goal, we lose a little bit our organisation. So, in the end, of course it’s really important to start well but it’s important to play the game 90 minutes and we can create situations. So we just need to give time to the team to win games.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Ruben talks about lifting the mood ahead of Sunderland’s visit…

“It’s completely different,” he said in terms of the mood going into the break, regarding whether we can get the three points on Saturday.

“It’s a massive difference to go to the stop with a positive result and we have to win it. So, again, we are in the beginning of the season, we could do better in the last games, but, we prove already when we are focused, we can win any game.

“It’s really important to win this one to enjoy the break.”

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Amorim reveals team news for Saturday

Head coach Ruben Amorim has provided an update from the Manchester United camp, on the eve of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Sunderland.

The 15:00 BST kick-off at Old Trafford is our last fixture before the latest international break and a chance to pick up a third successive home victory, on the back of the wins over Burnley and Chelsea.

Casemiro is back after the Brazil international served his one-game ban, for the red card against Chelsea, during the defeat at Brentford.

Amad missed the trip south last weekend, following a family bereavement, but is available again after training at Carrington this week.

“They are really important,” Amorim told MUTV’s Mark Sullivan in his exclusive pre-match interview, when asked about the pair.

“Casemiro gives us a lot of experience. That is good.

“Amad, we missed Amad in the last game. When we want to push some opponents, he is one extra guy where he is very good in one against one. So we are really happy to have him.”

Lisandro Martinez remains out, while Noussair Mazraoui is not expected to return until after the upcoming international break, with a trip to Liverpool next on the agenda.

Tyrell Malacia, who has not featured for the Reds since the Europa League win at FCSB last January, trained with the first-team group this week.

Part one: Press conference v Sunderland Video

PRESS CONFERENCE | Ruben analyses Sunderland’s positive start and reflects on comments about United’s system…

SUNDERLAND’S TEAM NEWS

Head coach Regis Le Bris dismissed reports Nordi Mukiele is a doubt for the game, while Luke O’Nien is available again after recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in last season’s play-off final to make the bench in the 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest last time out.

Romaine Mundle will remain absent for the next week six weeks or so, due to a hamstring issue, and is on the sidelines, along with Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde and Aji Alese.

However, the Black Cats’ raft of new signings have really hit the ground running, although one of them, Mozambique full-back Reinildo, is suspended.

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Ruben Amorim says it is time for his Manchester United side to show our true colours in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Sunderland.

During his press conference at Carrington to preview the 15:00 BST kick-off at Old Trafford, the boss was asked what he would tell supporters to retain the belief that things will turn around.

“It’s not time to say,” he insisted. “It’s time to show. Again, I can look at the games this year and, for me, they are completely different.

“There are some things that are the same and that is nothing about the position on the pitch, the way we put the ball, it’s other things that we cannot change.

Part one: Press conference v Sunderland Video

PRESS CONFERENCE | Ruben analyses Sunderland’s positive start and reflects on comments about United’s system…

“We show that thing in certain games,” he added.

“In the other games, we are not the same team in some details. I have nothing to say in this moment. My job is to prepare the team and let’s go for the next game.”

The Reds go into the fixture, our last before the international break, on the back of a setback at Brentford last weekend, when we slipped to a 3-1 defeat in south-west London.

Sunderland have started the season well, sitting fifth and racking up 11 points, with their most recent outing a splendid 1-0 away win at Nottingham Forest.

“We had some moments, if you see during these six games, during this season, we are not always the same team in the small things,” explained Amorim.

“More in the way we play, all the effort that we put [in], the maximum effort that we put in every single thing, is not the same in different matches. We have to find that balance, it will change everything for us.”

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Every word: Ruben’s pre-Sunderland press conference

Ruben Amorim addressed journalists at Carrington on Friday, discussing Manchester United’s upcoming home Premier League fixture against Sunderland, as well as his latest thoughts on the team’s system.

United go into our seventh league game of the new campaign sitting 14th in the Premier League table, with two wins so far, both recorded at home – against Burnley and Chelsea – which should provide confidence going into this one.

However, Sunderland arrive with huge belief of their own, having earned 11 points already so far since their return to the top flight, a tally which has them sitting fifth.

Speaking to the press, United head coach Amorim considered the quality the Black Cats will offer, the job done there by manager Regis Le Bris, and the latest opinions about his own formation.

Read every word from the boss below.

Part one: Press conference v Sunderland Video

PRESS CONFERENCE | Ruben analyses Sunderland’s positive start and reflects on comments about United’s system…

First of all, your thoughts on the terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester yesterday…

“A crazy world, we are living in at the moment, a lot of these things are happening. Of course, our sympathy for the victims and we will pay tribute tomorrow, but it is a crazy world in this moment.”

Hi Ruben, the next challenge is Sunderland, give us your thoughts on what that challenge will be tomorrow?

“It’s going to be a really tough match, they are doing really well. And then, when you see the games, they draw with one less player in the final [moments] of the game, they draw, [get] one point, and then they win in the final play against Brentford, [to get] another three points. I think the details are changing the table a lot, so we need to pay attention to that. It’s a team that plays really well, it’s a clear 4-3-3 system with a lot of rotations in the side of the pitch. They are confident and they know that we are going to be under pressure and we need to be able to play with that and we are prepared for a tough, tough match.”

And just a comment on the job that Regis Le Bris has done and the start they’ve made under him…

“It’s not just the table and all the results, that’s what matters most in the end, but it’s the way they play, a clear identity. A very good manager and a very good team.”

Ruben, what are you seeing and feeling at the training ground that makes you think the team can start performing on a more consistent level?

“We already talked about that. We had some moments, if you see during these six games, during this season, we are not always the same team in the small things. More in the way we play, all the effort that we put [in], the maximum effort that we put in every single thing, is not the same in different matches. We have to find that balance, it will change everything for us.”

Some former players have been quite heavy in their criticism this week: Wayne Rooney saying ‘this is not Manchester United, the culture’s not right’ and Gary Neville criticising the system. Can that be quite hard to listen to?

“It’s normal. You cannot run away from the results. And then you have the baggage from last season, but last season, for me, doesn’t matter. In relation to this season, we already spoke about that. We’ve had six games this season and we lost three, and then we have to look to the games that we lost, if you lost against Arsenal because of the system? It’s your job to make the opinion. When you look at the game against City, was the first thing you think, when the game starts, the system? I think you don’t think about the system in that moment. And Brentford? I don’t look at the way we concede goals, the way we create chances. There is nothing to do with the system. That is my opinion. And I’m not saying that this team would play better in a different system or not, that is not my point. My point is that if I look at the games that we didn’t win, the most important thing when I watch the game is not that we lost the game because of the system. That is my opinion. Then people have different opinions and that is okay.”

Ruben, you spoke last season so much about the fans backing you. This season, that has gone now, they stayed with you and believed you when you said things will be better this season. What do you say to the fans to give them the belief that it will be better?

“It’s not time to say. It’s time to show. Again, I can look at the games this year and, for me, they are completely different. There are some things that are the same and that is nothing about the position on the pitch, the way we put the ball [in], it’s other things that we cannot change. We show that thing in certain games. In the other games, we are not the same team in some details. I have nothing to say in this moment. My job is to prepare the team and let’s go for the next game.”

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I know we’ve asked you this a few times before. Do the players understand what you’re asking them because it did look as though last Saturday was very disjointed?

“It was. It was. It was. But again, you cannot say one thing that doesn’t work when it works on one weekend, and on the other weekend it doesn’t. When one thing doesn’t work, it doesn’t work every day. But when one thing works one day, and then another day doesn’t work, the other day works really well again, it’s something about the way we do the same thing. So we need to do the same thing in the same way every day and we are not doing that. That is my opinion. Some of you guys have a different opinion and that is okay.”

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