Press conference: Key quotes from Ruben

Wednesday 15 January 2025 13:30

Ruben Amorim addressed journalists at Carrington on Wednesday ahead of Manchester United's Premier League fixture against Southampton at Old Trafford.

We host the Saints on Thursday in a 20:00 GMT kick-off, seeking to continue a positive start to 2025 after a hard-fought draw at league leaders Liverpool and a dramatic FA Cup victory at Arsenal.

Amorim discussed learning about his players, selection headaches, pressure and more.

Here are the key quotes from part one of Ruben's press conference, with part two available to watch from 22:30 GMT on Wednesday 15 January.

Part one: Press conference v Southampton Video

Part one: Press conference v Southampton

Press conference part one | Ruben has laid down a challenge for his players against Southampton, as you can see here…

THIS IS A DIFFERENT GAME

"I’m always concerned because we didn’t have, during these games, the consistency in performance or results, so I’m always worried. It’s my job to be worried. But we have to face Southampton in the same way that we faced Liverpool or Arsenal, for example. That is the goal. Not more, not less. Understanding that they are different games and people expect us to win, and that changes things. When you have the pressure to win, that is the pressure that we want and sometimes it’s harder to cope with that pressure because against Arsenal and Liverpool, no one was expecting us to beat these teams. But now it’s different. We have to be prepared for that pressure, we need that pressure to improve as a team, and we need to face the game in the right way."

I DON'T FEEL PRESSURE

"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. And you can understand, if you follow this club in the past, if you don’t win the league for one year, you must win the next year. I don’t feel that pressure. We have to win that pressure for us. Outside the fans are amazing. I don’t read what you wrote, guys, so I don’t feel that pressure. I just want to win and to feel that pressure in the future. We need to win, we need to win titles and we need to win games. In this moment, we just need to win games."

Watch the penalty shootout from pitchside Video

Watch the penalty shootout from pitchside

Pressure? What pressure? The Arsenal v United penalty shootout, viewed from pitchside, is an illuminating watch…

I'LL LEARN MORE FROM THIS GAME

"I think this next game will teach me more from my players than the last two. I’m really focused to see what kind of game we are going to play tomorrow. So I will learn more tomorrow. Like I said, because there is no expectation in the last two games. No one believed that we could do a great performance or winning a game. But now they are expecting us to win and to play well, so I will learn more in this game."

RASHFORD'S SITUATION

"I just want to win tomorrow. My focus is to win tomorrow. I will choose the players who I think are the best to win tomorrow, so I’m just focused on that."

A DIFFERENT STYLE AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON

"It’s different. Because I think the most difficult thing to train in one team is the way you build with the ball. And in the final third, the way you play, the way you create situations, that is what a big team should do very well but we also need time to train. We have had a lack of goals for a long time and because we don’t spend a lot of times with the ball in the last third during games. We did it against Nottingham [Forest] and also Bournemouth, we had situations, but we need to improve in that part of the game. And I understand that in this moment it’s okay to play like that... we divided the game against Liverpool but against Arsenal, we waited for the opportunity, but in the future we cannot play like that, and I know that. We need time to build a different way of playing. Now we are focused on different things and then in the future we are going to focus on that. But this game, the fans will expect more from us and we have to deliver. Or try. But the most important thing is to fight in the game and to play the game, and in the end, win the game."

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Breakaway goals at the Emirates Stadium

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HAVE WE TURNED A CORNER?

"We’ll see tomorrow. I think tomorrow will tell us more from our team than the last two games, so let’s wait until tomorrow."

COULD BAYINDIR AND COLLYER FEATURE?

"A lot of players I had to think this week. Toby is training really well, he has a lot of pace, he likes to learn, so it’s one more option for tomorrow."

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