Ruben Amorim insists that even the Pope couldn’t make him change his style of play.
After warning that he would rather be sacked than compromise on his football philosophy in the wake of last weekend’s Manchester derby defeat, Amorim was unrepentant despite overseeing United’s worst start to a season in 33 years.
Ratcliffe flew into Carrington by helicopter on Thursday for talks with his head coach, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, but Amorim rejected any notion that a change of tactics was on the agenda.
‘No, no, no. No one. Not even the Pope will change (me). This is my job. This is my responsibility. This is my life. So, I will not change that,’ he said.
‘If I’m a player and I have a coach that, with a lot of pressure, is saying ‘you need to change the system’ and I’m going to change, in this moment they will look at me in a different way.
‘There will be an evolution, but we need to make all the good steps. I’m doing things my way.’
Under-fire Man United boss Ruben Amorim has insisted that even the Pope couldn’t make him change his style of play
The Red Devils slumped to another dissapointing defeat last weekend, this time at the hands of their crosstown rivals Manchester City
On the talks with Ratcliffe, Amorim joked: ‘He offered me a new contract! No, it was a normal thing to show the support, explaining that it’s a long project, which he has said many times. We spoke about normal things with Omar and Jason.
‘In this moment it’s normal for you to pay attention to that. This is the football club with maybe more pressure than any other in the world and we want to win.’
Benfica presidential hopeful Joao Noronha Lopes watched the Manchester derby with his entourage, having made it clear that he would like to take Amorim back to the Lisbon giants where he was a player.
Present incumbent Rui Costa made a counter move ahead of next month’s elections by sacking Bruno Lage and replacing him with Jose Mourinho this week, but Amorim laughed off talk of a return to Portugal.
‘No guys, no contact. And then Mourinho is there,’ said the former Sporting Lisbon boss.
‘I’m Manchester United manager. Until something changes, and after that, for sure, if it’s next month, tomorrow, in 10 years, I will rest because I deserve it.’
Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount will return to the squad to face Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday evening after missing the defeat to Manchester City through injury.
Despite the poor start, Amorim is convinced United are on the right track but need to toughen up mentally to turn their improved performances into points.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (middle) flew into Carrington by helicopter on Thursday for talks with his head coach
‘We are in a better place compared to last year but we need to win,’ he said. ‘In the end, if you don’t win, it doesn’t matter. So I think it’s something mental and we need to change.
‘Sometimes, what we call luck is the way we play the game with more belief. The teams that are winning have the feeling that something is going to happen. I think it’s Liverpool.
‘Sometimes, with us, I feel the opposite. We are playing well, but something is going to go wrong in some moments.’
