Ruben Amorim exclusive: Manchester United manager targets adaptable style of play - 'I don’t play one system'
Published 01/04/2025 at 11:28 GMT+1
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim sits down with TNT Sports for an exclusive interview ahead of their return to Premier League football, where they will face a tough trip to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night. You can watch the game live on TNT Sports and discovery+. Amorim covered a number of topics, including tactics, the importance of Bruno Fernandes, and Rasmus Hojlund's confidence levels.
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Ruben Amorim couldn’t contain his joy when explaining one of the advantages of the international break.
"I didn’t have media and that is really important so it was a good break," he laughs.
The Portuguese was in fine spirits when talking to TNT Sports about being able to detach himself from the public demands of being Manchester United manager.
Amorim and his team will return to Premier League action on Tuesday night when they travel to high-flying Nottingham Forest at the City Ground - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
It has been more than two weeks since United last played, winning 3-0 at Leicester City, and Amorim is grateful for the time spent analysing the present and future ambitions of the football club.
"It was really important," he told TNT Sports in an exclusive interview. "It helped that we were winning games, and we went to the next stage of the Europa League so it was perfect to stop a little bit, but I’m always thinking about not just the present but the future.
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"You have more time to think about the big picture and not just focus on the next game. You can watch a lot of games from different angles and try to understand the players.
"We have to prepare for next season, so you’re also watching different players and others on loan to see how they’re doing, and also watching some games from the youth teams.
"We try to get that information to have time to think about everything as a club and not just focus on the next game, so it was perfect. I’m also watching the national teams but not focusing on the performance but injuries and game time, so I’m trying to make the assessments that we need as a big club."
It comes as no surprise to Amorim that although club football took a back seat over the last few weeks, his team and his philosophy remained a huge talking point on TNT Sports’ The Breakdown.
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Arsenal legend Martin Keown explained why he believes that Man Utd's players are struggling to get to grips with Amorim’s tactics and the panel debated whether he should be more adaptable with his approach.
When Amorim was asked about the continued conversations about his formation, he expressed that he is always willing to adapt his tactics.
"If you train, it can take time," he explained. "You will reach a point where everyone knows what to do in any situation and I think that is really important.
"Sometimes it can take longer because you don’t adapt all the time but when you get up to the right speed, it’s going to be so much easier because they already know how to play.
"You see it as a 3-4-3 but I see it as a way of playing where we can adapt for a 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 4-3-3. It depends on the way you manage the rotation of the team. That is my goal and I always did that because I truly believe in that.
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"One of the funniest parts of being a coach is that you have an identity and you improve the way you play, so I’m in that journey. That is important for me.
"I don’t play one system, I play with one way of playing that I think the team can adapt against any system."
Recent results have shown that the players are starting to take their manager’s words on board, with United enjoying a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions over 90 minutes.
There was a moment in the second half of their 1-1 draw against Arsenal last month which appeared to give everyone a small taste of how Amorim's formation can flourish.
It was a situation where one wing-back set up another in a flowing move, with Diogo Dalot crossing for Noussair Mazraoui who was denied by a brilliant save from David Raya.
Many fans saw that as a crucial moment in Amorim’s tenure regarding specific patterns of play, and the Portuguese said that the Dalot and Mazraoui link up emphasised how much the players are starting to adapt and improve.
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"I think we are going to improve with training," he said. "You start understanding the moments to run, the moments to move, where to move - we are going to improve.
"So when you improve, you believe more and with that kind of play (Dalot and Mazraoui), you have to believe. You have to make a 60m sprint to score a goal, but if they believe that we are going to put that ball in that space, it helps to play better.
"That was the situation where they already believed that the play is going to be like that, and it’s a very good thing."
Amorim will be hopeful that United can continue their mini-resurgence when they face a Forest side full of confidence after sealing their place in the FA Cup semi-finals, as well as chasing a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.
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Amorim experienced defeat for the first time at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in December, which triggered a run of three defeats in the next four league matches.
Ahead of that game, Amorim had warned supporters that a storm was coming to Old Trafford, but this time around, he has a much more positive outlook.
"I’ve watched the game during the break two more times," he said. "I think we played well but suffered a goal from a set piece. There are a lot of things that we are doing better, like recovering our positions better.
"I don’t know what the result [on Tuesday] will be but the most important thing is also that I learn a lot. I can feel it when I’m watching the game and I understand the league better.
"The most important thing is that not only are my players learning, but I’m also learning and like my players, I can feel a little more confident."
Amorim on 'confident' Hojlund
The Red Devils appear to be heading into the business end of the campaign in fine fettle, and they will be encouraged by Rasmus Hojlund’s recent form in front of goal.
The striker ended his goal drought by scoring the opener in the victory at Leicester before netting in Denmark’s first-leg quarter-final tie against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League.
Amorim is delighted that Hojlund has found his scoring boots once again, but says he never lost faith in his striker despite calls to take him out of the spotlight.
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"It’s really important but when Rasmus is not scoring, I had the same confidence in him. Of course he feels better but I will do the same thing and I will give him confidence.
"A lot of the goals that we score were because Rasmus was there, so I tried to explain that to all the players. If he’s the right player for the next game, I will put him to play.
Before the Leicester game, it had been 21 games since Hojlund last found the back of the net, so what is the process for a manager behind keeping the player focused and confident despite such an unfortunate run in front of goal?
"I was also a football player and I know that nice and kind words will not change anything but sometimes when you explain things with facts and images, you can help the player to feel more confident," he explained.
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Rasmus Hojlund smiling at Manchester United's training ground.
Image credit: Getty Images
"You work on certain things in training and you continue to put him to play even when people are asking for another player.
"If I feel and I see that this is the best player for this game to win a football match, I will put him in and that’s something every player here knows."
Hojlund also made headlines over the international break by mimicking Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous ‘Sii’ celebration following his winning goal.
The Denmark international later said that he was not aiming any disrespect towards United’s former No. 7, while Ronaldo also confirmed that he took no offence to the celebration.
"He’s really confident because he believes all the time that he’s a very good player,’ Amorim said. "He has a lot of potential but sometimes he wants it so bad and he wants to score, but sometimes it’s not helping him.
"But he’s a confident kid and it was a good celebration and in the end Portugal won so it’s fine."
'He’s surprised me a lot'
Another player who was involved in that tie and continues to be a pivotal part in Amorim’s plans is club captain Bruno Fernandes.
Portugal's Fernandes has been United’s best player this season with 16 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.
It is incredible that since his arrival at Old Trafford five years ago, only Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne have produced more assists than Fernandes.
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Despite his impressive numbers for the club, Fernandes has found himself on the receiving end of criticism over his leadership skills, but Amorim admits that he was pleasantly surprised by how his compatriot leads from the front.
He explained: "I think he’s surprised me a lot because I watch what you watch especially in Portugal. You can see that sometimes Bruno is so frustrated with his team-mates and he wants to help them all the time.
"In training, he’s helping everybody. He’s training like a young kid and that’s why he has those numbers and that’s why he’s playing 50 games every season, so it was a surprise for me. Inside you can understand where that frustration comes from.
"It’s not from a bad place, it’s from a good place, and when it’s from a good place, I can handle that. It was a surprise for me but the way he plays was not a surprise because I already knew Bruno, but he’s a great captain for our team."
With Fernandes making such telling contributions at one end of the pitch, Amorim needed a leader at the back and Matthijs De Ligt is starting to fill that role for the side.
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The Netherlands international has appeared to grow with his team-mates under the new system and has been key to their upturn in form.
De Ligt scored a crucial goal in the 3-2 victory over Ipswich in February, while he also produced a stunning clearance to deny Facundo Buonanotte scoring a certain goal against Leicester.
"I think he’s feeling like he was in [former club] Ajax," Amorim said. "He’s so much more confident with the ball and of course, sometimes it’s hard for him because I’m changing [him] all the time to play in the middle, on the left, on the right because we had some injuries and he coped with that.
"He’s being so aggressive without the ball and he’s improving with the ball. He’s fast and strong so he’s a great player and he’s improving game by game."
Amorim on academy prospects
The only sour note on the pitch for United before the international break was the injury to Ayden Heaven, but Amorim expressed his encouragement that it wasn’t as serious as first feared and that the teenager could make a return to action before the end of the season.
Although it hasn’t been by design, Amorim has been able to integrate a number of the academy talents into the first team this season due to a number of injuries.
The likes of Heaven, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer and Chido Obi have all made their senior debuts under Amorim, although Obi recently returned to the Under-18s for the FA Youth Cup.
The fabric of the club is built on academy players gaining promotion to the first team and Amorim understands the importance of giving youngsters a chance and explained the key factors behind them making the step up to the senior squad.
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Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven at Old Trafford.
Image credit: Getty Images
"They talk on the pitch and that is the most important thing for me," he explained. "The first thing is that you need to feel that they are not shy in training. That is a good sign.
"We cannot run from the physicality of the player. They can be really good but if they don’t have the physicality to play in the Premier League, it’s a completely different league so we have to manage that.
"Also to protect the player, to put him in when he’s ready and you also have to be lucky as a young player. Sometimes one injury can help you. Ayden was a little bit like that because Ayden was with us and we saw a lot of talent - especially [Man Utd technical director] Jason Wilcox, who was responsible for putting Ayden into my hands.
"With one injury, you can see he is so comfortable playing in the Premier League in a club with a lot of pressure and sometimes you have these surprises.
"The important thing is they have to believe, be physically ready to cope with the demands and also be humble. To understand that they are going to play, they can return to the young teams - that is important for them to understand that football is like that.
"Sometimes you’re in a good moment but sometimes you have bad moments or return to your team of your age so it’s important to be humble and ready and not to be shy in training."
When is Nottingham Forest v Man Utd?
Nottingham Forest face Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday, April 1.
Kick-off is at 20:00 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and discovery+ starting from 19:00.
How to watch Nottingham Forest v Man Utd
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
Nottingham Forest v Manchester United will be live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate with coverage from 19:00 UK time on Tuesday, April 1 ahead of kick-off at 20:00.
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