Ruben Amorim said he could feel that his Manchester United players do not want him to get sacked after they beat Sunderland 2-0 to ease the pressure on the coach. Goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko gave United a third win of the season and soothed the pain of last week's defeat at Brentford, which led to high profile figures such as Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney fiercely criticising Amorim.
Getty Images SportMount backs Amorim after win
Amorim went into the match with a dismal record of 34 points from 33 matches but the victory over Sunderland took his side up to eighth in the Premier League table and level with Manchester City, albeit having played one game more than their local rivals.
Mount put United in front in the eighth minute at Old Trafford and after the game he gave his boss a show of support when he told reporters: "We're 100% behind the gaffer. We've had some results that hurt us – the team, the staff and the fans – but that was important today."
The midfielder hopes the victory can be the start of a strong run of results. He added: "It needs to be – we thought after Chelsea it would be the start of something and then we go to Brentford and have a disappointing result. It starts today and we'll be working hard over the break. We want to get back-to-back wins, then three in a row and push on for the top four."
AdvertisementAFPAmorim felt players backing on the pitch
Amorim said that the players' resilient performance proved that they supported him and he was pleased with how the team stuck together even when their intensity levels dropped in the second half. "We didn’t play well during all the game but we had our moments but if you look at our performance, it was a team performance," he said. "There was focus, defending well, we were trying to kill the game in the second half. So I'm pleased with that and now we move forward to the next one."
The coach was asked about Mount's backing and he said he knows that the players do not want to keep changing coaches. Amorim is the sixth permanent coach United have employed since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. The United boss also explained what he wants to see from his players every week.
"I saw today and I know they want to do the best and I know they don’t want to change the coach all the time," he said. "But like I said during this week, to be with the manager is: 'I will kill myself to go in every transition'. We need to show with actions and sometimes when we look at our team I know for sure that when we see the games in the end they know that sometimes we can do better. So I feel that during the week but we need to show that on the pitch, not just at home but also away."
Getty Images SportLammens 'looked confident' in impressive United debut
Amorim praised debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who made his first appearance since switching to the Red Devils from Royal Antwerp on transfer deadline day. "He looks confident in the first game but the important thing is the team-mates helped Senne to have a good game because everyone is focused, there were not a lot of mistakes against a team that was really comfortable playing football, so we did well as a group effort."
He also explained why he had waited so long before giving the Belgian his first match while Altay Bayindir struggled. "When Senne arrived here, first of all Altay was playing and then he arrives and you can feel that he needs to adapt, new country, new training," he said.
"The pressure you guys put on the goalkeeper is massive, so it was a little preparation for him to be ready to start his first game. But it is just one game and he needs to work, he needs to be prepared that in our club things are really hard, but he did well and again he was comfortable during the game. That's a really good sign."
Getty Images SportSesko scores again
Amorim was also impressed with his £74m striker Benjamin Sesko, who scored his first goal at Old Trafford and for the second game running after also finding the net against Brentford.
"He is here to score the goals, to give us a different type of profile inside the box, to use more crosses, he is going to improve the connection with this teammates," Amorim said of the Slovenian. "How many times did Senne kick the ball and he was there with the first touch? That is more important, especially in this league that we are thinking when there is a throw-in we have an extra guy who is big at the first post.
"All the characteristics of Ben, not just the goals, can help us to win games. We are happy with him, he puts a lot of pressure on himself that is not a bad thing but he has potential to do so much more."