Ruben Amorim laughs off Pep Guardiola claim with brutally honest Man Utd verdict

Manchester United head to the Etihad to face Manchester City on Sunday, with both managers desperate for a result to kickstart their Premier League season

Ruben Amorim insists he is under way more pressure than Pep Guardiola heading into today’s Manchester derby showdown.

United are in ninth spot, above City in the table going into a derby for the first time in five years, after Guardiola’s side suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats to leave them 13th.

But Amorim said it was a “joke” to suggest Guardiola was under similar pressure, given the success the City boss has had, including winning six league titles and the Champions League in nine years.

“No, you cannot compare,” said Amorim. “The guy is winning all the time. He can relax if he’s not winning anymore.

“I have to prove myself every day here and I feel that. So I’m really comfortable with that and I think that every day that I come here, that I have to do better.

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“To compare me with the situation of Guardiola is just a joke. I think we have bigger problems.

“We continue to have bigger problems, but we’re addressing everything. Sometimes we’re frustrated and angry, but we’re facing all the problems and we’re trying to improve.

“I see the team playing so much better now. We just need to be more clinical to win more games and then things are going to get easier.”

Amorim beat Guardiola twice last season, 4-1 with Sporting Lisbon, before taking over at United and sealing a smash-and-grab derby win at City with two late goals last December.

Despite that win over City last season, Amorim knew United would struggle, with the Red Devils finishing 15th in the table – their lowest league finish for 51 years.

“It’s hard to point to a game last year that was a backfire,” said Amorim. “We had so many moments like that. We just focus on the future.

“We have four points. I think we should have more at this moment, but we need to be really competitive. It’s a very important game for everybody here, but especially for our fans, so we’ll try to do our best.”

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