Ruben Amorim celebrates his first anniversary as Manchester United’s head coach on Saturday admitting there were times when he doubted if he would survive one year in the job.
Amorim, who is known to have questioned his decision to leave Sporting Lisbon for United last November during a turbulent start at Old Trafford, wondered ‘that maybe it’s not meant to be’.
The 40-year-old also admitted last month that he faced the sack if results didn’t improve before United went on a three-match winning streak ahead of today’s (sat) trip to Nottingham Forest.
‘There were some moments that were tough to deal with,’ said Amorim. ‘To lose so many games, that was so hard for me because this is Manchester United.
‘The position that we had in the last year, putting all the attention on the Europa League and not winning, that was massive.
‘So I had some moments that I struggled a lot, and I was thinking that maybe it’s not meant to be.
Ruben Amorim celebrates his one-year anniversary at Man United on Saturday – but doubted it would ever come at some points
Manchester United have won three Premier League games on the bounce, a first under Amorim
Amorim says he ‘struggled a lot’ but now thinks it was the ‘best decision of his life’ to join
‘Today is the opposite. Today I feel that, and I know that, it was the best decision in my life and I want to be here.
‘I trust my players more, I think they trust me more. That will come with wins, and you can sense that.’
Despite the recent upturn in results, Amorim is resisting the temptation to gloat at the critics who have questioned his devotion to a 3-4-2-1 system.
‘No, because I know that in two weeks this could change again – “no, no, we were right”, so it’s like a crazy conversation,’ he added.
‘So I think that we are in a better place, but it’s also really good to be prepared that something can change.
‘I just have a clear idea how I want to do things. Maybe my way is going to take more time, for people to start seeing things. I just do what I feel is best for the team and for the club.’
Although his negative body language on the touchline has been criticised at times, Amorim has managed to keep a smile on his face for much of a difficult first year at Old Trafford that has seen his team lose 19 of 52 games.
‘It’s also my character,’ he said. ‘I know that a lot of people want me to see me arriving here with that face that I’m suffering, and I like to do the opposite.
‘Since the first moment, I said this will not change who I am. I live my life like this. I know that football will change in some moment, and now we are in a good moment.
‘I try to balance my life. You can say that I laugh a lot, but you also can say that I’m always like this on the bench, and like that, so I just live with emotions and I follow my team. If my team is playing well and running a lot, I will be a happy man.’
