Amorim forced to Man Utd 'manage expectations'

MANCHESTER, England — Ruben Amorim has said he is having to “manage expectations” after suffering his first defeat as Manchester United head coach.

United lost 2-0 to Arsenal on Wednesday in Amorim’s fourth game in charge since he took over from Erik ten Hag.

He admitted it was a “bad result” but suggested it was not a huge surprise against an Arsenal team which has challenged for the Premier League title in the last two seasons.

“We have to manage expectations,” Amorim told a news conference on Friday.

“It was a bad result. Be calm and continue doing the job that we are doing. It’s hard because it’s a very competitive league and it changes all the time with just one result.

“We have to pass this phase because before this Arsenal game you were asking about the top four.”

United host Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday before Europa League trip to Viktoria Plzen on Thursday.

Amorim then faces his first Manchester derby against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium the following Sunday.

“If you see nowadays in one week you have three games, that can change the image, perception of the team and in the table,” he said.

“One week can change a lot and we need to have consistency in the job. The result you don’t control but you need to win three matches to see a big gap in the table.”

Amorim has made a number of changes to his team during his short reign, dropping both Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo to the bench at the Emirates despite their impressive performances in the 4-0 win over Everton three days earlier.

Ahead of Forest’s visit on Saturday, Amorim said he is closer to knowing his best team.

“You have an idea but we had the problem that players returning without training and you have to manage the load,” he said.

“We always have the same problem and with Bruno Fernandes you feel that against Arsenal he was a little bit tired but you know he is going to recover very well. Manu [Manuel Ugarte] sometimes needs a little bit more time.

“We are in the process but we are getting closer to an idea [of the best team], yes.”