Ruben Amorim has warned his Manchester United players he will learn more about them against bottom-of-the-table Southampton at Old Trafford on Thursday night than in the last two matches away to Arsenal and Liverpool.
United have lifted the gloom around the club by knocking the Gunners out of the FA Cup on penalties a week after battling to a 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.
It has raised questions over United’s mentality when they face the smaller clubs, and Amorim is waiting to see if his players can reach the same standards against the struggling Saints.
‘I think this next game will teach me more about my players than the last two, so I’m focused to see what kind of game we will play. We will know tomorrow,’ said United’s head coach.
‘There was no expectation for us in the last two games. Nobody expected but now they are expecting us to win and play well. So we will learn more.
‘I’m always worried, it’s my job to be worried, but we have to face Southampton in the same way we faced Liverpool and Arsenal, that is the goal. Not more, not less, face that game.
‘They are different games and people expect us to win. That changes things. When you have the pressure to win, that is the pressure we want. Sometimes it’s hard.
‘Against Arsenal and Liverpool, nobody was expecting us to beat those teams, but now we have to be prepared for that pressure. We need that pressure as a team and to face the game the right way.’
Asked if some players struggle with the weight of the shirt at United, Amorim added: ‘Of course, you feel the pressure of the club, but in this moment I don’t feel that pressure because in the last years we didn’t win the league.
‘If you follow this club in the past, if you don’t win the league one year you must win the next year. We need to bring that pressure to us.
‘I don’t feel that pressure to win and feel that pressure in the future, we need to win titles and games in this moment.’
Amorim was reluctant to discuss Marcus Rashford who hasn’t played for the last seven games amid uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford.
‘I just want to win tomorrow,’ he said. ‘My focus is to win tomorrow. I will choose the players I think are best to win.’
Read more 2025-01-15T15:54:11Z