Ruben Amorim makes vow to Man Utd fans after protests against Glazers before Arsenal clash

Manchester United fans staged a huge protest while dressing in black before their clash against Arsenal to vent their fury at the Glazers – and Ruben Amorim’s men later put in a spirited display to secure a 1-1 draw

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said his players want to give “a lot more effort” on the pitch after fan protests before their 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday – and vowed to never play a low block again.

The Red Devils are enduring their worst ever Premier League season in a turbulent campaign that has seen them sack Erik ten Hag before replacing him with Amorim, though the 40-year-old has been unable to turn things around since arriving in October.

United’s under-par displays have seen them fall far away from the European spots to languish in mid-table, with the Europa League now their only chance of silverware.

Off the pitch, the club are also struggling with financial difficulties as United attempt to clear out debts of around £1billion. Ticket prices have been increased to £66 and concessions have been removed, while 200 staff were made redundant last month.

In the wake of the team’s dismal season and huge cost-cutting measures, supporters wore black in a huge protest against Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers before the Arsenal game, as they held up banners saying “Your debt not ours,” and “We want our club back”.

Amorim acknowledged it was a difficult time to watch United and said the team were striving to do better on the pitch as a result to help the situation.

“This club will never die, that is clear,” he said when asked about the protests. “You feel it in the streets. This is a big business and maybe all the fans in this league sometimes feel it is harder to go to the games and pay for tickets. We want to give them a lot of effort.”

United put in an impressive display against Arsenal that they arguably should have won after a big late chance from Fernandes but were notably much more solid defensively after Amorim tweaked his tactics.

When asked about the shift in philosophy, the Portuguese boss said: “The last game before Champions League was high pressure from PSV, man to man, and they are harder to mark in this way, In the low block we can control the game better in this way. And we have players who are good in transition. In the future, we will not play like that.”

Before the game, Amorim had backed supporters who had decided to protest against the club, insisting they had every right to voice their discontent at the club’s plight.

“People have the right to protest. I think it’s a good thing to do that. It’s party of our club. Everybody has a voice. But our job and my job is just to improve the team and give them something in this moment because they deserve it and they are amazing.”

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