Harry Maguire admits Ruben Amorim’s job is much harder because he is the “total opposite” of Erik ten Hag, but has backed the Manchester United head coach to turn their dismal season around.
Amorim has been beaten in half of his 10 games since being appointed head coach and approaches Monday’s league match against Newcastle, live on Sky Sports, having lost three in a row across all competitions.
The Portuguese has inherited a squad that Ten Hag built to play transitional, counter-attacking football, making them highly unsuitable for his philosophy, which puts an emphasis on possession and deploying a high line.
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Amorim also has the added complication of preferring to play with three at the back, but Maguire believes he has what it takes to overcome his tough start and drive the club, currently 14th, up the table.
“The thing is with the managers and the styles, it is not like they have come in and they have similar styles,” Maguire told Sky Sports. “They are the total opposite in terms of what they want and what they demand.
“So the transition period is going to be tough. We all have great belief in the manager and all his coaching staff. I am sure things are going to turn around. He knows exactly what he needs to do to get this club back.
“He has come in and done everything he needs to do. He is really demanding.”
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Wolves and Manchester United
United are closer in points to the relegation zone than the Champions League places heading into the visit of Newcastle, their final game of an up-and-down 2024, after their 2-0 defeat at Wolves.
Amorim, who will be without captain Bruno Fernandes after he picked up a red card, has already been asked about the possibility of being sacked less than two months into the job.
Asked if Amorim is becoming frustrated with the poor run of results, Maguire added: “He is a winner, so I am sure he will be because he hates losing games.
“It is frustrating. We want to win football matches and make our fans happy because so far this season it has not been good enough.”
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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says that every manager is under pressure and he can in no way grow ‘comfortable’ in his position at Old Trafford, especially after a run of three straight defeats
United are in need of a positive result to ease the pressure on their new head coach and lift the mood at Old Trafford, but face a resurgent Newcastle before taking on league leaders Liverpool a week later, another game live on Sky Sports.
Maguire says there have been no conversations about targets within the dressing room due to the dire position they find themselves in.
He said: “We are just doing everything we can to climb the table. We can’t really set a target at the moment because we are nowhere near good enough and nowhere near where we want to be in the league table.
“It is really disappointing what we have done until now. Everybody knows that. We know it is not good enough for this club.”
