MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim described his first year at Old Trafford as a journey full of twists and turns, but remains proud of sticking to his principles as the club begins to show signs of revival.
After facing heavy criticism over his formation and tactics, United finally recorded three consecutive wins for the first time under Amorim, who will celebrate his first anniversary with the club next month.
United are currently sixth in the English Premier League (EPL) with 16 points after nine matches, six points behind leaders Arsenal and one point ahead of defending champions Liverpool.
“It’s been a long and difficult journey, there have been sweet moments and there have been bitter moments. I learned a lot from it and that’s very important,” said Amorim ahead of the match against Nottingham Forest this Saturday.
“I learned that even in the most difficult moments, I can still stand by what I believe in and that’s a good thing to understand.
“The answer is different now than it was three weeks ago. This is one of the biggest honours of my life and I want to stay here for a long time.”
Forest are now managed by Sean Dyche, their third manager of the season, who was previously among Amorim’s critics after claiming the Portuguese manager should have used a 4-4-2 formation to achieve more wins.
“I always say my playing style will take time and in the future it will get better,” Amorim stressed.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but I can see Sean Dyche as a manager and an analyst. If you’re an analyst and you don’t speak up, I won’t watch you. Me either. I understand, they’re two different jobs.
“I know Dyche is smart and knows the ins and outs of the game. He knows that talking about football is not the same as coaching a team,” he said.
Amorim also informed that Harry Maguire’s injury status is still uncertain, while Lisandro Martinez is not ready to play despite having returned to full training after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in February.