‘Maybe he wants my job’ – Ruben Amorim delivers glowing review of ‘leader’ Bruno Fernandes’ attitude despite Man Utd captain sitting out with injury

United played with a recognisable back four against Newcastle for the first time during Amorim’s tenure and after the coach had previously said that “not even the Pope could convince me to change”. He said the players were adapting to his way of playing even within different formations and he said it was vital that the players understood that he was not changing his formation because of pressure from the media.

He explained: “When I came here in the last season I understood that maybe I don’t have the players to play well in that system but it was the beginning of the process. We are trying to build an identity and today is a different moment. They understand why we are changing. It is not because of the pressure of you guys, of the fans. It is because now we understand the way we want to play, and the principles are the same. 

“We can change the system, and I think we are going to become a better team, because when the players, all the players return, we are not going to play all the time with three defenders. But when you talk about changing the system all the time, I cannot change because the players will understand that I’m changing because of you [the media], and I think that is the end for the manager. So when we are playing well in our system, I think that is the moment to change.”