Matthijs de Ligt makes feelings clear on Ruben Amorim leaving Man Utd

The pressure on Ruben Amorim has been eased slightly following Manchester United’s 3-2 win against Burnley on Saturday which was thanks to a 97th-minute Bruno Fernandes penalty

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt insists the players are firmly behind under-fire boss Ruben Amorim and want him to stay. The immediate pressure eased on Amorim with Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 win over Burnley, which came courtesy of a 97th-minute penalty from skipper Bruno Fernandes.

That was United’s first win of the season and it came on the back of their humiliating EFL Cup penalty shootout exit to League Two Grimsby in midweek. That upset turned up the heat on Amorim, but De Ligt said the players have faith in their head coach and admitted they must take much of the blame for their poor start to the season.

Asked if United’s players want Amorim to stay, De Ligt said: “Yeah, of course. I mean, as a player, you’re responsible for the results. They always speak about the manager, obviously, but I think as players we also looked each other in the eye after Grimsby and said to each other, ‘Guys, the performance of this week is not acceptable’.

“It will be really, I think, bad to say that it’s the manager’s fault. It’s mostly us and we know that. So yeah, obviously we still stand behind him, and he stands behind us, so we keep going like that. I think the result for today makes that feeling even more.”

United face two massive tests when they return following the international break, with a trip to local rivals Manchester City followed by a showdown with Chelsea at Old Trafford. “I think the only thing that counted today was a win,” De Ligt added.

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“Everybody saw how. We know we could have done that better, but the win was the most important thing. I don’t think there’s much been said [since the Grimsby game] because everybody knows how the feeling was.

“I think everybody from outside could also understand what the feeling is if you lose a game like that. So, yeah, it’s not easy. We know that. We were really disappointed, in ourselves especially, so then to win was I think the only cure that could a little bit help the defeat of Wednesday.

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“We had a lot of big chances in the first-half and we didn’t score all of them, but we created a lot of big chances. I think we conceded just one shot from Hannibal [Mejbri], so that was really good.

“The only thing is that the game is 90 minutes, today even more, so that’s something that we have to improve on. But as I said, the only thing that counted was a win, so with that I’m really happy. If you win, that’s the best feeling, and we did.”

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