Manchester United players would have been 'killed' by the estimate of Ruben Amorim that they are part of 'the worst team' in the history of the club, Gary Neville claims.
Amorim came up with the alarming comment after United Sunday suffered a seventh defeat in fifteen games under their new head coach against Brighton. The 39-year-old also damaged a TV in the dressing room during a tirade after the game at Old Trafford.
“We are perhaps the worst team in the history of Manchester United,” Amorim admitted after the game.
Shortly thereafter he apologized in a long remark, part of which was: “I am a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake,” he told Rangers prior to the Europa League game.
“That's why I don't talk after the game. At this competition I had to talk and maybe it was a mistake and then I get nervous and I go very nervously to the press conference and I say things that I shouldn't say, that's all. I don't promise you won't do it again, but I'll try to improve it. “
And former United defender and expert Neville, speaking at The Gary Neville Podcast, has given his assessment of the words, to defend the current United boss.
“I can sympathize with him, because emotion and passion is all I am looking for in a football club and as a manager,” he started. 'It hurts, so he wants to come out and express his opinion and I admire that.
'It is what we ask of everyone to be honest and authentic. We cannot sit here as broadcasters and appeal to him for that. What I try to do to understand what the impact is, what would that be like in your own company? If you go to the office and your boss says you are the worst group of people they have ever had in the office, there would be a destruction and the boss would probably not survive.
'The employees would lose their faith and trust, so you can only imagine what impact this had on the players. It is different to hear it from your own manager, it has a deeper meaning. He probably rolled back because of people above or players who would say, “It kills us”.
'To whom is it directed? Every player must ask himself: “He means me?” He will have realized the impact of his words on the people he asks every week to perform for him. But he had to send everyone a message that this should change dramatically. “
United will face Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday and tries to improve the form, causing them to fall back to thirteenth place in the ranking. If they lose, they can fall to 15th place.
In the meantime, leader Bruno Fernandes seemed to be standing up for his manager in the run -up to the game, encouraging his teammates to show that they 'have the balls to play for this club'.
“The reality is that, to play here, you must be busy that you need the balls to play for this club, that's what it is,” Fernandes said. 'You have to feel that it is a new chance at any time of every match to bring us back to the position we deserve.
'Unfortunately for us there have been too many ups and downs this season and every time it looks that we get there, we get a blow again and we go down.
“What we have to do is every time we take a blow and go down, we have to get up and try to hit back.”
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