Every word of Ruben Amorim’s Leeds United pre-match press conference | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim says there is a possibility players might return from injury in time to face Leeds United.

The Manchester United head coach was speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s game at Elland Road.

Injuries

The first question was about whether there are any players coming back from injury or any new issues.

“We are going to be no issues, no different issues,” Amorim replied. “We are going to see tomorrow. We have more and more training. I don’t think so, that they are going to [be available], anyone is going to recover, but we’ll see.”

He was then asked: “Obviously, players like Harry and Bruno would be a huge boost for a place like Elland Road. I’m guessing you’ve not experienced it before in any way. And what are you expecting from that?”

Amorim replied “No, I heard that it’s a big derby, a great environment, big rivalry. But every game in Premier League is so tough for us. So it’s one more game. I know that it means a lot to the fans, but we need to go there and try to win.”

Amorim was then asked if he is happy with the progress the team is making and the league position he finds himself in.

“I think we are playing better,” he said. “When we have the full squad, we are clearly attacking better. We are not being good enough in the details. We should have more points in the moment, but want always more. And we should have, again, we should have more points in the table.”

On Sunday’s opponents

The next reporter asked Amorim how difficult he expects Sunday’s game to be.

“They have a lot of pace, and sometimes we struggle with pace,” Amorim admitted. “They are confident, but we prove that we can win any game in any situation, in every context. So we will try to do that again. We know that they change the system. They have different players in front. The last game, they rotate the two players that usually are the starters. They have good players, good manager, great environment. It’s going to be a tough game.”

How does the rivalry with Leeds compare to what he experienced at Sporting and Benfica?

“It’s different. I never experienced this one. In Portugal, it’s a big rivalry. Here, it’s the same. Different environment, different culture. But the noise is going to be big. We just have to perform. But it’s hard to compare different cultures, different derbies, different history. Let’s just focus on the game. It’s 11 guys against our 11 in the beginning, and we’ll try to win.”

“When you play for Manchester United, you need to be ready for everything. You guys have the best league in the world. Every game now, and you see, every week is a lot of draws, you never control, you never understand what is going to happen. In the end of that week. So it’s going to be tough, but it’s always tough nowadays in Premier League.”

The January transfer window

The next question was “we’ve seen Liverpool and Chelsea drop points as well this week, and it feels like your side, at the halfway stage, is well within a chance of reaching the Champions League. Does the fact you’ve put yourself in such a promising position change what you’re thinking this month in terms of the transfer window? Is it worth pushing the envelope a little bit further to make sure you get top four, top five?”

Amorim replied: “The transfer window is not going to … we have no conversation in this moment to have any change in the squad. There’s a process, there’s an idea that is going to continue. We are near the places of Champions League, but we are near also to eight teams behind us. So let’s focus on the next game, just that. Our focus is to win the next game.”

He was then asked: “You played some very young players in the last few games, Fletcher, Lacey, Mantato. Given the hostile nature of the environment on Sunday, will that impact your selection at all?”

“No, of course, we look to everything, but they need to be prepared,” he said. “You can see the squad. It’s impossible. We cannot stretch the players that we don’t have in the moment. But of course, I will try to put a team that is ready to cope with that. Then I will try to read the game and try to understand what I should do to help them to win the game.”

Is he confident the youngsters can handle the atmosphere?

“They have to,” he said. “It’s a game in the hostile environment, but they need to be ready and they need to experience that. But it’s going to be hard for any player, even the guys with a lot of experience. But again, we already experienced that. Bilbao last year was amazing, the sounds. I that the feeling is completely different, but they need to be ready.”

Finally, the boss was asked “If any players come and knocked on your door and asked if they could leave this moment, Joshua Zirkzee is someone who …”

“None,” Amorim interrupted. “None of them.”

The reporter asked “Would you expect any of them to?”

“No. I don’t expect them to come to me to ask anything,” he insisted.

The embargoed section of the presser will be released at 10.30pm on Saturday and will be available in full here.

Featured image Warren Little via Getty Images

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