Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim hopes to give fans an early festive gift by returning with a win against Bournemouth at Old Trafford next Sunday.
After a grueling run of fixtures following the surprise 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on December 7, United are keen to return home.
Despite claiming victories at Viktoria Plzen and defeating Manchester cityAmorim’s side suffered a setback after their Carabao Cup quarter-final loss Tottenham with a score of 4-3.
Reflecting on the experience, Amorim revealed: “Yes, it was really difficult in the Nottingham game, to lose that game the way we lost.
“I always look forward to hearing that song and playing with our fans and trying to bring some happiness into their lives because (Thursday) was definitely really tough for them.”
Despite the tension during the match against Spurs, Amorim praised his team’s resilience.
Injury concerns remain with Victor Lindelof joining Mason Mount and Luke Shaw out, although Marcus Rashford could return after missing the last two games due to selection issues.
Since entering Erik ten HagIn Amorim’s shoes, Amorim has seen a mixed bag of results – three wins, one draw and three losses – but he remains optimistic about his side’s potential.
Amorim has recognized the progress in his side’s attacking play and commented after the match Tottenham clash: “I think we are improving near the opponent area.
“We have some games where we are close to the box but without any real threat. You could see different things (against Tottenham).
“You could see that we can shoot, we are close to the goal and you can feel it, you really feel it. I think it is a good thing in our team.
“I feel like our team is faster and presses more, physical performance is improving and understanding of the game is improving.
“You can see it in the control of the game and you see it especially in this match, but also in the last match that we understand better the position and the movement we have to do.
“There’s a lot of things, but it’s hard to think of the good things because we’re out and let’s focus on the next game.”
On Antony’s performance, Amorim gave a frank assessment of the Brazilian’s self-confidence: “He needs more confidence. If you remember Antony who plays for Ajax, he lacks a little confidence to play one-on-one, but he will improve.”
“He works very hard and tries to play more inside than outside, especially in this game. He just has to do that. Work very hard and I will help him become a better player.”