MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he does not intend to resign but acknowledged that positive results are crucial to keeping his position at Old Trafford, as pressure mounts following a woeful start to the season.
United are already out of the League Cup after a shock second-round defeat to English fourth-tier side Grimsby Town and failed to qualify for European football following last season’s disappointing 15th-place finish.
The scrutiny on Amorim has intensified this campaign as his side sits 14th in the Premier League table, eight points behind leaders Liverpool, with just seven points from six matches.
The 40-year-old Portuguese, who has overseen nine wins, 17 defeats and seven draws in his 33 league games in charge, spoke to reporters ahead of Saturday’s home game against high-flying promoted side Sunderland: “No, that is a decision of the board. I cannot do that (resign).
“Sometimes I have that feeling and losing is hard, not to create the momentum. It’s so frustrating when you create the momentum, go to the next game, something happens. That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. Also the players and especially the staff here.
“But that is not my decision and I think it would be really hard to leave if I don’t do everything to follow my career here.
“It’s a dream to be here and I want to continue here and I want to fight for this. But the problem is now what makes me suffer is to lose games, not to lose my job. You fear to lose your job when you have to pay the bills and I don’t have that feeling.”
Amorim said he is not “naive” about the precarious nature of his position at a club of United’s stature.
“We understand that we need results to continue the project. We will reach a point that is impossible for everyone because this is a very big club with a lot of sponsors, with two owners. So it’s hard, the balance is really hard,” he added.
Amorim won’t resign but says results key to keep Man United job
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Amorim won’t resign but says results key to keep Man United job
- The 40-year-old Portuguese, who has overseen nine wins, 17 defeats and seven draws in his 33 league games in charge, spoke to reporters ahead of Saturday’s home game
Al-Nassr down Al-Najma in 5-0 drubbing to move clear at the summit of SPL
- Ronaldo, Coman, Martínez and Mané all on the scoresheet in 5-0 victory as Al-Nassr move two points clear of second-place Al-Ahli
DAMMAM: When Al-Najma beat Al-Kholood two weeks ago to secure their first-ever Saudi Pro League victory under new manager Néstor El Maestro, it seemed like a page was turned in their turbulent debut season in the league.
Days later, they led Al-Ahli 1-0 in Jeddah, further showing that this team were not prepared to go down so easily. Unfortunately for the Qassim-based side, they crumbled in the second half and fell to a 4-1 defeat.
Next up for El Maestro’s squad was Al-Nassr. With Al-Hilal dropping points to Al-Taawoun and Al-Ahli beating Damac by the skin of their teeth, this was Jorge Jesus’ chance to reclaim top spot with a two-point gap. There was no option but victory.
Al-Najma were no match for Al-Nassr from the get-go. Only five minutes were needed for fans to complain about the level of refereeing for the third consecutive day, with Al-Nassr winning a penalty just five minutes in.
It wasn’t to be for Al-Najma’s goalkeeper Victor Braga, though. Just last week, he became the first player to save an Ivan Toney penalty in an Al-Ahli shirt.
This time, Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home with confidence, and there was no looking back. Al-Najma accepted defeat with more than 80 minutes to go, and the only question remained was how big the scoreline would be.
With Íñigo Martínez now Jesus’ trusted option at left-back, Marcelo Brozović was afforded greater freedom to push forward. Martinez operated as a pseudo-left-defensive midfielder, giving the Croatian the green light to overload the channels in the final third.
This led to Al-Nassr’s second of the night, when Brozović received the ball down the left flank to square it to Kingsley Coman in the 31st minute. The Frenchman converted his sixth goal of the campaign.
Moments later, Braga was injured while attempting to deal with a corner. Waleed Al-Anzi replaced him, but a low Martinez strike from range deflected off Nasser Al-Haleel to slip between his legs for Al-Nassr’s third in the 42nd minute.
The second half would prove no different for the hosts. Playing higher up the pitch in a bid to lessen the deficit, it saw Nawaf Bu Washl released with acres of space down the right after a chipped ball by Abdullah Al-Khaibari.
Bu Washl found Ronaldo in the box, but after hesitating to shoot, he opted to release Sadio Mané instead, who netted the fourth in the 52nd minute.
The next 10 minutes saw Ronaldo, Mané, Brozović, Coman and João Félix substituted as Jesus manages the team’s fitness levels. Al-Nassr travel to Al Majma’ah to face Al-Fayha in less than 72 hours.
The icing on the cake came via Martinez in the 80th minute. Abdulrahman Ghareeb delivered a corner to the near post that was met by the Spaniard and headed past Al-Anzi at the far post for Al-Nassr’s fifth.
Eleven games remain for Al-Nassr on their quest for their first league title since 2019. Their next five games include Al-Fayha, NEOM, Al-Khaleej, Al-Najma and Al-Okhdood, a run that helped them solidify top spot in the first half of the season.
That is followed by the stretch that previously saw them go four games without a win: Al-Ettifaq, Al-Ahli, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Hilal, before their final two games of the season against Al-Shabab and Damac.
The title race remains tight. Al-Nassr may sit top, but Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and Al-Qadsiah sit two, three and five points behind them respectively. Time will tell if Ronaldo can grab the coveted title he’s missed since his arrival in the Kingdom.
Elsewhere, Alexandre Lacazette’s stellar strike was cancelled out by Yassine Benzia in NEOM’s 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha. The newly-promoted side remain in eighth place, five points ahead of Al-Khaleej in ninth, and six behind seventh-placed Al-Ettifaq.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Thursday. Al-Fateh go head-to-head with Damac while Al-Hazem host Al-Ettifaq. Al-Ahli, despite a few recent struggles, have won 12 out of their last 13 matches and travel to the capital to face Al-Riyadh on the same day.
