Ruben: Thursday 'a special moment in my life'
Ruben Amorim says Thursday's game against Bodo/Glimt will be special for both him and his staff, as Manchester United play at Old Trafford for the first time since he became head coach.
The 39-year-old is hoping for the start of ‘something very beautiful’, as we take on the Norwegian champions in the Europa League, and he's also targeting a first win, following last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town.
Lisandro Martinez is available again, while Luke Shaw could be in contention to start for the Reds, Amorim revealed to MUTV’s Mark Sullivan.
He also discussed how he expects our visitors to play and his no-nonsense approach to United's current Europa League position…
Amorim: It's the beginning of something beautiful
AMORIM’S INTERVIEW | Ruben looks ahead to his Old Trafford debut and hints at a potential starter v Bodo/Glimt…
Ruben, you experience leading United for the first time at Old Trafford in front of our wonderful fans. How are you feeling?
“It will be special, but it will be more special if we win. So that's the goal, but it’s a special moment in my life, in our staff’s life, and I hope it will be the beginning of something very beautiful.”
Reflecting on the weekend draw at Ipswich, what lessons did you learn? What were the main takeaways from the game?
“I saw so many things that I think we can improve. We will try to do that without many trainings, but it's easy to see some different things to put on training and then try to improve for the next game. I already know that it's a tough league, tough matches all the time, so we have to improve. Like I said to you, I hope you will see different things in the team, I hope.”
What's the team news ahead of the game with Bodo/Glimt?
“Licha is ready to play. Harry is returning. That's a good thing. Leny Yoro is improving his fitness. Luke is healthy. So let's see if he plays in the starting XI or not. We will see. But with all the squad, we are stronger. It's normal. So we are ready to go.”
And what do you know of Bodo/Glimt?
“It's a very tough team that are used to winning, and this is something important for a team. They run a lot and that is something that I want my team to experience, to have these types of games. It’s an important competition for us. We have to win the game. We are in Manchester United. We have to win all the games. So I expect a very difficult match.”
And we're halfway through the competition. So what do you think in terms of our position and qualifying for the knockout stages?
“To be honest with you, I don't care at the moment about the board [table], I just want to win the game and to improve our squad. Then the idea is to win all the remaining games that we have in this competition.”
And how do you balance giving players game-time and rotating that line-up to let all the players experience your new style, your new formation?
“That's the idea and they are international players. All of them are in Manchester United. They are ready to play every game and we have a lot of games, so we have to rotate the team. It’s something we have to do, we need to do and it’s good for the team, especially in this moment. We are putting a new idea. Everybody has to play and everybody is ready to win matches.”