Man United’s Amorim insists on focus on the future after Ronaldo’s criticism

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has responded to sharp criticism from club great Cristiano Ronaldo, his former Portuguese teammate, by urging fans and pundits to look ahead rather than dwell on the past.

Ronaldo, who won eight trophies at United, told Piers Morgan in an interview this week that United were “not on the right track” and warned that Amorim “would not do miracles” at Old Trafford.

«We say in Portugal: ‘miracles only happen in Fatima’,» the 40-year-old Al-Nassr striker said, adding that the Manchester club had no long-term vision.

Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag in November 2024, hit back in the run-up to Saturday’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.

“Of course he has a huge impact in everything he said,” Amorim said Thursday. «What we need to focus on is the future. We know that as a club we have made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. So let’s not focus on what happened. Let’s focus on what we are doing now.»

READ | Ronaldo: Amorim will not perform miracles at United

“We are changing a lot of things in the structure, the way we do things, the way we want the players to behave. We are doing that and we are improving.”

Ronaldo expressed his sadness at the club’s decline, but emphasized that the problems go beyond the manager.

“You have to work with smart people to create a foundation for the future,” he said. “Right now they have no structure.”

United have shown signs of improvement and have risen to eighth place, two points clear of second, after a four-match unbeaten run.

Provisional second place in the rankings is up for grabs on Saturday in a grudge match for the Amorim team, after Spurs defeated 1-0 in the Europa League final last season, preventing the Red Devils from playing in the Champions League this season.

Amorim attributed the turnaround to internal reforms.

“The characteristics of the players are different in the team now,” he said. «We also have players who played last year. But we are a better team. We understand the game better. We have more confidence.»

«We reached the Europa League final with the confidence that we could win it. But at the moment we are playing with a different confidence.»

Amorim added that there was a silver lining to missing European football this season.

“We use the positives,” he said. “Every situation you encounter in your life, you can look at it in a positive way or in a bad way.

“If you ask me if I would rather be here with the Europa League and Champions League football, I could say yes.

«But on the other hand, you have more time to train and get to know your players. Arrange and prepare everything with the staff and players. So we try to use the positive of not playing the midweek matches.»

Published on November 6, 2025