Amorim drops biggest hint Antony could STAY

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 22 Nov 2024 09:24 CST
• 4 min read

Ruben Amorim has come out in defence of his Manchester United squad - including Antony.

In his first pre-match press conference ahead of the Red Devils' game against Ipswich Town, the new head coach spoke up about his players, saying that he believes in them

The 39-year-old took over from Erik ten Hag, who was sacked earlier this season, and he will be hoping to rejuvenate the club and bring them up the table.

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Amorim used a 3-4-3 formation at Sporting CP, which brought about great success in his four-and-a-half years there, including two league titles.

The January window is the time to bring in new players but there is a lot of focus on outgoings too. United's budget is supposed to be tight, but it may be bolstered by any sales that the club makes.

The club's squad has come in for a wave of criticism of their inconsistent displays, with winger Antony targetted for failing to live up to his huge price tag. As for other players, there have been suggestions that they try and get managers sacked once they start to become disillusioned with their training methods.

Amorim said about his players via the Mirror: "I know you guys don't believe in these players but I do - you guys think it's not possible, I think it's possible. I believe in them, they are open to different things, hard work and they have to & until they prove me wrong I believe in them."

What else did Amorim say?

Amorim was also asked if he felt that United players had lost confidence under Ten Hag. Amorim replied: "That's for sure, but it's normal when players don’t win games – you start to be suspicious of the way of playing. You can understand, when they walk to the game or in the warm-up, you can understand if they are confident or not.

"I think they have to have help, but they are ready to cope with the demands of games in the Premier League. You see, sometimes they have a bad first half and then in the second half they will change, so they have to find that mindset.

"As a coach you have to choose one way or another, I always choose 100 per cent our way. I choose to risk a bit. I believe so much in our way of playing and they will believe too. There is no second way.

"We will adapt some players because we don’t have a different profile. Maybe on Sunday, you will see the starting 11 and not feel a lot of change, but you will see it in the game and the positioning or where they receive the ball, the changes made."