Ruben's post-City press conference

Phil Foden opened the scoring in the first half, when he latched onto a Jeremy Doku cross, in a game that could have credibly gone either way at the interval.

Unfortunately, it went the way of the hosts, with an Erling Haaland brace in the second half putting the result beyond doubt, and leaving the Reds without a route back into the game.

Amorim met with assembled media inside Etihad Stadium following the final whistle. Keep scrolling to read, and watch, everything he said...

You said in your interview with the BBC that you need to work on some things for the next game. What was it that you saw today that you weren't happy with?

“If you look at the goals, we can avoid that kind of goals. With [Jeremy] Doku, we have almost everyone behind the ball, and we could be more aggressive. The second goal, in the moment of the game that we are pressing City, we suffer a goal from the throw-in. When we want to recover the ball, instead of covering the space and then [going] to win the ball, we let two players of City [go] one against one. The approach that we had in that play, we can avoid, and we can close our goal. And then the third goal, [Erling] Haaland has all the space, confusion with our players, and then he has all the space to play. So, in these moments, I felt that if you look at the goals, those moments, we could avoid. And that is the key of the games, to take advantage of these moments and they took it, in transitions. In those moments, they were better than us.”

Ruben, it’s eight Premier League wins since you've been here. At some stage, are you going to have to accept that the way you set up your team is just not working? It's not creating enough wins, and people are finding it easy to play against you.

“It's not a record that you should have in Manchester United. There are a lot of things that you have no idea what happened during these months, but I accept that. But I'm not going to change. When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man. So, we'll talk about that every game, every game that we lose. ‘I don't believe in that, in the system’, or whatever. So, I play my way and I'm going to play my way until I want to change.”

You said on Friday that the team are better than last season. Do you understand why fans can’t see that, after a result like that?

“That is normal. That is normal with the results, again, I accept that. I don't see [it] that way. I see that we are doing better, but then the results don't show that. Again, I remember last year we play, in the former club [Sporting], we play against City. We won 4-1 [in the UEFA Champions League]. It was not near the opportunities, the way we control the game compared to today. But in certain moments, we were not better than City. So, I understand that, and it's hard, and the record says everything, so I understand."

What is the message to those fans?

“My message is that I'm going to give everything. I will do everything, always thinking about what is best for the club. That was always the same message. And then, it's not my decision, the rest. So, until I'm here, I will do my best. I really want to win games, so I'm suffering more than them.”

I know you're searching for solutions and the right pairing in that no.6 position, those two deeper midfielders, but you play Bruno [Fernandes] there, he's been far away United's best and most consistent player for a very, very long time. Your best player, you've now taken your best player out of his best position, and he looks compromised. Is that not just adding to the conundrum and the difficulties and overcomplicating the situation?

“Guys, I understand how football it is and the results will dictate all the narratives. Against Arsenal, you think we play well? You think we were the better team? You think [Martin] Odegaard, Declan Rice, and I think [Martin] Zubimendi are three top midfielders. We play with two. One was Casemiro, the other was Bruno. Sometimes it's the dynamic of the team. Sometimes it's an opportunity that you score. I see it that way, I know that it's really hard for people, and the fans don't want to hear me saying these things, and I know that they are not going to listen [to] nothing and going to be upset. With that, I can do nothing. I'm trying to be rational, and I don't lie to myself. So, I see the record, I understand the frustration of everybody, and I understand any decision that came with that. But that conversation about the two midfielders, the pair, Kobbie Mainoo, I understand all these narratives. But then, when I look [at] certain games, we play with two, it's the same thing."

But with Bruno, is it because you don’t have the sixes that you want that you have to play him there?

“Today, when you imagine the game, why not use Amad, Bryan [Mbeumo] and [Benjamin] Sesko [with] Bruno behind. With the ball, to be the first guy receiving the ball, and then with a lot of pace in front. So, I'm trying to do different things, trying to imagine the game, and then when you don't win, doesn't work, you take the criticisms, but that's it.”