Ruben Amorim insists press scrutiny worse in Portugal than England: 'You guys are polite!'

Martin Macdonald

• 4 Oct 2025 03:38 CDT
• 2 min read

News

Ruben Amorim insists media scrutiny is much more severe in Portugal than in England.

The Manchester United manager is receiving criticism on a weekly basis as the Red Devils have yet to get going this season, with no visible improvements made from the disastrous 2024/25 campaign.

They have won just two out of their opening six Premier League games and were eliminated from the League Cup by League Two side Grimsby in humiliating fashion.

Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher led the criticism aimed at Amorim following last week's 3-1 defeat against Brentford, but the United manager says it is important to ignore most of the negative noise, while insisting the abuse or criticism he has received in England pales in comparison to his native Portugal.

"There is no one in the world that can read everything and listen to everything," he said at a pre-match press conference on Friday. "I try to see all the games because I know I see the game more than all those guys put together because they have to watch every game. I follow my job that way. It is impossible to survive in this job listening to all things.

"My family, we love to live in England, you have no idea what is abuse compared to in my country. You are so polite when we are losing."

One of the biggest criticisms levelled at Amorim is his refusal to budge from his preferred 3-4-3 system which has not worked so far, with players seemingly unsure of their roles in that formation.

He insists he will never be flexible on that aspect of his management and hopes his players ignore the media suggestions that the 3-4-3 is a major reason for the team's current failings.

"I am not concerned about that [getting sacked] and nobody here is naïve," he said.

"We need results to continue the project. The balance is really hard, I am not concerned about that, what I wanted to see my team winning or losing playing the same way. My biggest problem is my players believing you guys when you say the biggest problem is the system. We need to play the same way."

Man Utd face Sunderland at home on Saturday in what is likely a must-win fixture for Amorim.

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