Ruben Amorim says misfiring Manchester United must find a way to “survive” a “tough moment” that he expects to continue well beyond the bruising Boxing Day defeat at Vitor Pereira’s Wolves.
After last week’s chaotic Carabao Cup quarter-final exit at Tottenham was compounded by an Old Trafford humbling at the hands of Bournemouth, things went further awry as they fell to a third straight loss.
United captain Bruno Fernandes’s red card for a second booking changed the dynamics of the match shortly after half-time, with Matheus Cunha scoring direct from a corner at a rocking Molineux.
Wolves’ star man teed up substitute Hwang Hee-chan to wrap up a 2-0 win deep in stoppage time as Amorim’s 10th match in charge ended in a fifth defeat, leaving them 14th in the Premier League table.
“The idea needs time,” United’s head coach said. “I said it before to you guys that this will be a tough moment and we are far from the end of this moment and that’s it.
“We have to continue and focus on the next game.”
Asked how long he thinks it will take to make his mark, Amorim said: “I have no idea. No idea. Instead of me trying to understand how much time it will take, just day by day.
“Improving, trying to see the videos, using every minute of training and try to win some points because it’s really important in this moment.”
United are closer in points to the drop zone than the Champions League places heading into their final match of a topsy-turvy 2024 at home to in-form Newcastle.
“In this moment, we just have to survive and to win some time to work on the team,” Amorim said.
“We already knew it. I start this job and you start with the team, a new idea, without any time to train, with a lot of games, tough games.
“We already knew it, so it’s a long journey, like I said in the first day. We have to continue, and we have to fight these bad moments because this is part of football.”
Put to Amorim that he cannot think of European qualification right now, he said: “No, no, no, no.
“We have to work on a lot of things in our club – inside the pitch, outside the pitch – so let’s focus on each game, each time and use every minute of training and game to improve the team.”
As United nurse their wounds, Wolves head to Tottenham on Sunday looking to continue their perfect start to life under Pereira as Gary O’Neil’s successor followed up an impressive 3-0 win at Leicester in style.
“Fantastic feeling,” the Portuguese said after his first home match in charge. “Special because of the spirit of the team.
“Now I think we can see that the players are ready to suffer together. They are ready to run, to fight, to compete for each ball.
“I feel that they have confidence to play and to win the duels to and this is most the most important for me.”
Pereira’s name echoed around Molineux after a win in which Cunha was the star man, with the forward’s goal direct from a corner a key moment in the triumph.
United also conceded in that manner at Spurs last Thursday, when back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir rather than Andre Onana was between the sticks.
Asked if he looked at the video of that, Pereira said: “Of course we analyse every match.
“We try to, I think all the staffs, try to understand the movements or the spaces that we can explore, and we try to not allow them to do it against us. This is football. Sometimes happens, other times not.”