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Ruben Amorim has called on Manchester United’s leadership group to help prevent other first-team players from being “afraid” on the pitch.
The former Sporting CP boss has tasted defeat in six of his first 11 matches across all competitions since replacing Erik ten Hag, including five losses in United’s last six Premier League games.
United sit a lowly 14th in the Premier League table as a result, with many beginning to question whether or not the club are actually involved in a battle to avoid relegation.
A trip to leaders, and bitter rivals, Liverpool will provide United with one of the sternest tests they will have faced all season, and Amorim admits that his players must improve their mentality if they are to start turning results around.
“They are sometimes afraid on the pitch,” Amorim told reporters. “So we have to cope with that. We need the leaders to step up to help the other guys – and I’m the most responsible person here to improve the performances. You can see the players are trying. Sometimes they are too anxious and too afraid to play football because this is a difficult moment.”
“Of course when you are [losing] there is a lot of pressure. It is hard to cope with all the problems, the bad performances and the losses, it is really hard. It is supposed to be really hard.
“The only thing that can help me is training with the players and I also have my family now here so it’s so much different, it can help me.”
Amorim also conceded that relegation is a “possibility” but insisted: “I’m not thinking about that, I just want to look at the next game. I just think it’s really, really important to be really clear with the players and the supporters.”
United last picked up a win at Anfield way back in 2016, when Wayne Rooney’s 78th-minute winner was enough to hand Louis van Gaal victory over a Liverpool side that had Simon Mignolet in goal and Nathaniel Clyne, Mamadou Sakho, Emre Can and Alberto Moreno across the backline.
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