Ruben Amorim sent a clear message to the Manchester United hierarchy after the draw at Leeds, but Wayne Rooney has put him back in his place with a comparison to Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp
Wayne Rooney has accused Ruben Amorim of over-stating his importance at Manchester United after his extraordinary rant following the draw at Leeds. Amorim dropped a bombshell in the post-match press conference by throwing his weight around amid tensions behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
The United boss has previously hinted at a disagreement with the club hierarchy over plans for the January transfer window. “I have the feeling that if we have to play a perfect 3-4-3 we need to spend a lot of money and need time,” he said on Christmas Eve. “I’m starting to understand that is not going to happen so maybe I have to adapt.”
Amorim refused to be drawn on the meaning behind those comments in the run-up to United’s 1-1 draw against Leeds. But his true feelings came pouring out after the game in remarkable fashion when Amorim was asked about having confidence from the board.
“I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, is not [Antonio] Conte, is not [Jose] Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United,” he ranted. “It’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decided to change. That was my point. I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until other guy is coming here to replace me.
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“I just want to say that I’m going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. I was really clear on that. That is going to finish in 18 months, and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job, not to be a coach.”
Former United striker Rooney was shocked by Amorim’s comments and warned the Portuguese that he is over-playing his hand.
Asked what he made of Amorim’s comments, Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney Show: “It’s strange, interesting. I think his choice of words are decisive, confusing. I think he speaks with a confidence and an authority that he knows he’s going to be there as manager (for the next 18 months) and he’s going to remain the manager.
“And that’s the only reason I can assume that he speaks with that belief because the last two games haven’t been very good. It’s quite confusing.”
He added: “I don’t think he’ll have 18 more months if it carries on, I think that’s fair to say. I think you need to earn the right to be able to dictate exactly what happens at a football club, especially a football club like Manchester United.
“If [Pep] Guardiola comes into United for instance, I don’t think anyone would question what players he wants to bring in, or the system. I feel for him (Amorim) a little bit because the squad is not good enough, the players he’s got on the bench are young academy kids – it’s great to see them on the bench, but are they ready at this moment in time? It’s very difficult to put young players onto a football pitch when the team is not very good, so I feel for him a little bit.
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“But he’s not Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp – he hasn’t got that history or that background, so I don’t think he should be speaking with that authority in what he is and I just think the words he’s saying are very confusing to me.”
United are sixth in the Premier League, three points outside the top four, after successive 1-1 draws against Wolves and Leeds. They face fellow relegation-threatened side Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday night.
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