“Last season I went into games worried' - Amorim happy with his team

Ruben Amorim believes in the new Manchester United. Now that he has had time to shape the team in his image – and with the transfer window still open – the Portuguese manager is banking on a different United from last season.

The Man United team are refreshed with the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon, and Bryan Mbeumo, alongside several departures.

In an interview with Sky Sports, via Abola, he spoke about his readiness to defend the squad this season, which has already faced criticism after the opening game against Arsenal due to a defensive error from Altay that led to the London club's goal from a corner.

“I spoke with the players, and I know that when you see so much criticism, you get upset – and that’s normal. For me, the only way to protect myself and my players is to tell them not to look at anything.

"You have to be like a monk, especially when there are problems, and then I try to present the facts, because sometimes there's a narrative that isn't true. Altay made a mistake, but last year he had very good performances, so I try to convey that to the players and fight that narrative,” he explained.

“Last season, I sometimes went into games worried, but now I’m excited — it’s completely different. We suffered so much together, and that can bring people together — the spirit is really good. When you feel the team is playing well, you gain confidence and feel freer to play, and if you feel freer to play, you’re happier. If you’re happier, your day-to-day is better — it’s like a snowball effect,” he stated.

Amorim commented on what Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo can bring to the group and the team. “We have different options this year, but sometimes football is about more than what happens on the pitch,” said Amorim.

“Mbeumo and Cunha arrived at a time when the spirit is different, the atmosphere is different — sometimes we have many players with a lot of quality, but the scars were there and that influenced the team dynamic. They can help us, not just on the pitch, but off it as well. I feel the players are freer because they [Mbeumo and Cunha] weren't here during the very, very difficult moments — they're seeing something different.”

Another key signing was Sesko, whom Amorim expects to see at Old Trafford for a long time.

“When you're at a club like this, you want to have the best players, but you also have to imagine the future. That’s very exciting — I like to get to know the players, I like to watch videos of players and try to get all the information, but we always want that confirmation, and I felt that Sesko was even better than I thought,” he began.

“I have to be careful — Sesko is going to be our striker for many, many years, so we need to put that in his head and let him settle, stay calm, and enjoy his day, because he's really obsessed. I'm very happy — not just with him, but also with Cunha, Diego (Leon), and Mbeumo — we know we have the players and we know that, in our future, we will have that foundation, and that’s really important for us.”