Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has defended himself after being called “naive” by former captain Wayne Rooney for suggesting the club’s goal is to win the Premier League.
United suffered a 10th defeat in 24 games under Amorim as they were knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties by Fulham in the fifth round at Old Trafford.
It was the sixth loss at Old Trafford since the Portuguese took over in November and leaves winning the Europa League as the only realistic avenue back into European competition next season.
Yet, initially speaking to BBC Sport after the game and then in his wider post-match news conference, Amorim spoke of United’s desire to win the Premier League for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
“The goal is to win the Premier League,” said the Portuguese. “I know we are losing games but the goal is to win the Premier League again. I don’t know how long it will take. We have a goal and we continue forward no matter what.”
Working as a pundit for Match of the Day, Rooney’s reaction to those comments was that Amorim should focus more on short-term aims that might keep him in his job.
“I think it’s a little naive to say they’re looking to win the Premier League because from where they are now, they’re a long way off that,” he said.
“I think he’ll get time but it’s not a free hit because he’ll expect more from Manchester United than what we’re seeing since he’s been in. He says winning the Premier League, how can they compete? To get further up the table, I think that’s the next step for them.”
(BBC)
