‘It will change my life, not change me!’ Amorim promises to stick to his guns

Ruben Amorim has vowed to stick to his guns as Manchester United boss after taking over from Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese joined from Sporting Lisbon last month when the Red Devils were at rock bottom, sitting 14th in the Premier League after a terrible start to the season.

Following his appointment, Amorim spent a further three games at his former club as United were unable to lift his notice period, giving him a chance for a perfect farewell with a hat-trick of wins.

The 39-year-old started in a tricky draw at Ipswich in the Premier League before coming from 2-1 down against Bodo/Glimt to win 3-2 in the Europa League four days later.

His United side finally came alive on Sunday as they cruised to a 4-0 defeat by Everton thanks to Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee.

But on Wednesday he faces his toughest challenge yet as he takes on Arsenal, who have scored 13 goals in their last three games while beating Nottingham Forest, Sporting and West Ham.

Before the game, Amorim told the BBC's Mark Chapman: 'I believe I'm the right man. I think [the job] will change my life, but not me.

'I'm very happy, a bit stressed, but like all coaches you have to be stressed and feel the burden of the job, but I feel like I have the situation under control.

“I can't control the results, but I know what I have to do.”

The new boss explained why he believed United fans were already feeling a connection with him, despite having been in the role for less than a month.

“Maybe because I'm a bit emotional and can even convey that in interviews,” he said. 'Maybe because I'm different from the previous coach. And also because they believe that I am the right person.

'People always think the next person is the right person.

'As a coach you can be so good with tactical and technical things, but if you have no emotion you can't connect with the players and you can't do anything with a football team.

“I'm a Latin boy and I'm just like that.”

Amorim gave an insight into his preferred 3-4-3 formation, which he has already started implementing at Old Trafford.

“One thing is that I know my structure very well,” he said. “So over the years I've focused on just one thing that can adapt to anything.

'In the end it is a bit [easy to get found out] and over time we can change in the middle of the game.”

The former Sporting boss was also keen to emphasize that he was not just a 'nice guy' and that fans could expect a degree of resilience from the new man at the helm.

'I remember almost everything from my coaches and that has helped me because I remember all situations.

'I had different coaches with different mentalities and different ways of playing.

'I had some problems with coaches. I've been suspended twice, so I'm not just a nice guy.

“All these situations help me understand every player in my time.”

Ahead of Monday's match against Arsenal, he added: 'They are by far the best team we have played against, but the test is every game.

'When you see the last game [on Sunday]it was really tough. It was 4-0, but if you see the match as I see it [it was tough].

'Everything is a test now – without so many minutes to train, trying to control the number of minutes for many players who cannot imagine one match.

'You have to know that some players have to leave the field within sixty or seventy minutes, so that is very difficult. Everything is a test at this point.

'But Arsenal are at a different point in their team. They are in a different moment [to United].'

Arsenal have finished second in the past two Premier League seasons behind Man City and will be looking to record a fourth straight win against United when they meet in the Emirates.

Arteta has won six of his nine league matches with the Red Devils since taking charge and Amorim wants his side to forget that recent history in Wednesday's clash in the capital.

“It's important to be brave,” Amorim added. 'When I say 'brave' it doesn't express higher and higher, it's not the same.

'We have to understand the game, the moments of the game and we have to have the ball. That is the most important point, because we want to have the ball.

'We also want to dominate some moments of the match because we know that in this match it is difficult to control the whole match.

“If I have to say something, we have to be brave and play the game.”

The Portuguese boss also took the opportunity to heap praise on summer signing Noussair Mazraoui, who has played in the backline since joining from Bayern Munich and has even been deployed in the number 10 role once.

The Moroccan has started every game so far under Amorim on the right side of the back three, who has been impressed by the 27-year-old.

“I don't see him much in training, but in matches he is a top player because he understands the game,” Amorim said.

'He knows how to attack, he is very technical. He is very good defensively, very good in one-on-one situations. He is a modern player. I think he is the future of our team.

“When you think of him you think 'we need more people like Nous' who can control the tempo, they are really good and comfortable with the ball, and they understand the game.”

United, who have been plagued by injuries this season, look set to get a boost as Leny Yoro looks set to finally make his debut for £52m after being ruled out since August.

The France centre-back broke a metatarsal bone during a pre-season friendly against the Gunners in Los Angeles in July, just a week after arriving at Old Trafford from Lille.

The 19-year-old has returned to training in recent weeks following surgery, and his new head coach revealed Yoro could be available to make his competitive debut against Arteta's side.

“Maybe Leny Yoro will be in the selection, we have one more training to see,” Amorim said. “I feel like he's at a good time now, his fitness is better and I think he'll be in the squad.

'I think he is a special talent. At this first moment you have to be careful, we haven't had too many training sessions together. He doesn't train alone, a small group of players.

'He is very fast, a modern defender and that is great if you want to exert a lot of pressure one-on-one, he is good at that. But I have to be careful, we have to control the loads, the minutes in the beginning, but I'm excited to see Leny Yoro play.”

Amorim also confirmed that Bruno Fernandes will be fit for the clash against Arsenal despite having an ice pack on his ankle after Sunday's 4-0 win over Everton.

“Now he is fit to play, I can see him this morning,” the United boss added. “He's fit to play, he's a guy who doesn't need a lot of rest, you know him, so he's ready to play. We have to see the rest, some players are tired and we have to assess that in training tomorrow.'