Ruben Amorim spoke to the press ahead of United's FA Cup 4th round match against Leicester tomorrow night which sees Ruud van Nistelrooy return to take on the man who pretty much replaced him at the helm at Old Trafford.

After what was an underwhelming January transfer window, Amorim had much to discuss on the matter as well as what he thinks about the overall squad.

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Amorim says that defender Lisandro Martinez will be out for a long time although they still don't know exactly how long and that with Luke Shaw, he has a "small issue" in a different area and that they will have to be careful with him.

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The United boss says that we will have to wait and see whether the two new recruits of Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu will go straight into the team although did admit that they are ready and are "two more solutions to help us in this moment."

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The 40-year-old said that when it comes to the January transfer window, the club was taking its time however, "everybody here doesn't want to make the mistakes of the past." It's about improving the players that are currently there and then the club will reassess business in the summer.

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He was asked whether he thinks that United will remain in the same position they're in due to the lack of business done and lack of experience brought in despite the likes of Rashford, Antony and Malacia going out on loan.

Amorim replied that the difficulties his side are facing is something that is not going to turn around in just a few games. He also acknowledges that it is a "risk" that new and more experienced players weren't signed as "we want different profiles."

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"I always complain about the time to train" says Amorim but now, they do have that training time and he also adds that he's looking for a certain profile of player.

Amorim has said on many occasions that he knew the risk of taking the United job and that should he continue to lose games, he will come under a lot more pressure and that taking charge of the team in the middle of the season "is a danger".

He then reiterated that he had a "clear idea" since day one of what he wanted to do and believes that "in the end it's going to pay off."

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The MUFC boss says that "we are fighting for our jobs" until the summer and that their focus is on winning games rather than thinking of a player (Rashford) who is on loan and that the press should direct their questions about the United loanee to his new manager Unai Emery.

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Amorim says that they have to find players for the attacking positions as at the moment, United have just Hojlund, Zirkzee, Amad and Garnacho up front.

He says that we have one more winger (I presume Dorgu) which can help the team going forward but that he won't solve the issues straightaway.

It's also about creating chances as United don't score enough but that they have to improve in small things. He mentions players such as Amad, Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo as those who can score more.

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Final Thoughts

He keeps saying how they don't want to make the mistakes of the past yet looking at this recent window, they made the mistakes of the past. They didn't bring in enough players, they didn't sell anyone despite a few on loan and the squad is actually now in a worse state than it was before the window.

They didn't back the manager at all and have made his job even harder. The mistakes are still there despite the new regime. They better do a madness in the summer because that could ease the pressure on them from the fans and probably manager as well.

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It is a risk with the lack of business done. While they weren't good enough nor playing much, Antony, Rashford and Malacia were at least options for Amorim should the need have arisen. They were also more experienced than Dorgu and Heaven which makes a difference as well.

I'm sure that Amorim would be happy that he got in some players and will try to make the most of them but really, we all cannot expect us to start pushing for the top 4 or playing brilliant football.

I can't see us improving that much tbh. A little yes, but not enough to get us to where we want to be.

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I think that he's already under a lot of pressure because five home losses in seven PL games is awful whether it's completely on him or not. As much as we may back him as fans, this type of form is not sustainable and while he says that the season will be up and down, this up and down is unacceptable.

However, he is right to say that training is needed because this team could do with a lot of work and that joining an already struggling side in the middle of the season with no signings makes a difficult job all the harder.

I still can't understand why they brought Amorim in if they didn't back him. INEOS gave Amorim that ultimatum in November which is why he's here so they would've had to reassure him that they would give him what he wants. Looking at things now and that they haven't backed him at all will result in many more performances and results like we saw against Palace.

Will that be acceptable?

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I do love the fact that he is remaining defiant about his system and tactics. That's the whole reason he was hired and if he strays away from that then he may as well leave. Amorim is 3-4-3 as he has been in his short managerial career. The idea is there but he doesn't have the tools to do the job. He is shorthanded.

Indeed, they are fighting for their jobs because unless INEOS say they are going to stick with Amorim through thick and thin, should this poor form continue, should United not win anything, should we not qualify for Europe and should the performances remain dire, will they stick by him then?

Things have to change drastically for all of this to disappear. Loaning Rashford makes no difference to us because he was let go by Amorim for a reason and it's not as if he was playing anyway. Even when he did, he was shite.

Interesting statement to say that we are fighting for our lives though, eve if it is true.

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As for the forwards, they are not enough, they not good enough. We are lacking up front and if Garnacho or Amad got injured, we're screwed.

Zirkzee and Hojlund have been a let down and we cannot rely on them. We all knew that number 9 was a position that we needed serious improving this window but obviously, we didn't address it.

Having to rely on two underperforming and young strikers isn't ideal and yes, while we do have others who can score, we shouldn't only be relying on Amad, Bruno and others. Even Martinez has more goals than Hojlund and Zirkzee this year.

I have a feeling that Amorim is very upset at not getting a striker because as we saw against Palace, he didn't even use one which many thought was a sign that he was telling the club that he needs someone up front.

Will we be seeing Mainoo as false 9 more for the rest of the season then?

Hopefully he just uses Mainoo as a CAM and has more attacking players on the field as this will help with that chance creation he was talking about.

Whatever we do though, the final third is an area where we are seriously under pressure.

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Background Image: Ruben Amorim remains defiant about his style and formation despite poor performances and results at Man Utd | Creator: Gareth Copley | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2024 Getty Images via Man Utd News