 "Ruben Amorim had made the remark in January this year. Image: Reuters")
Former Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen has criticised coach Ruben Amorim for publicly labelling the United squad as the “worst in history,” saying such comments added unnecessary pressure on players.
Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag, had made the remark after United’s poor run of just two wins in 10 Premier League games, including a heavy defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford earlier this year. The Portuguese coach said the team was “maybe the worst” in the club’s history, sparking headlines worldwide.
Here’s what Eriksen said:
Speaking to The Times, Eriksen said, “That didn’t help. Yeah, that didn’t help at all. I mean, that was not… I don’t think that helped the players at all. Some stuff you can say inside and it’s not too clever to say outside, to put extra pressure and put an extra label on the players who were already trying to do their best.”
The 31-year-old Danish midfielder played 107 games for Manchester United, making 22 appearances under Amorim, before moving to VfL Wolfsburg on a free transfer in September this year. Eriksen was part of the Man Utd dressing room when Amorim made those comments.
“In [the past] 10 games in Premier League, we won two. Imagine what this is for a fan of Manchester United. Imagine what this is for me. We are getting a new coach who is losing more than the last coach. I have full knowledge of that. We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know you [media] want headlines but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go: your headlines,” Amorim had said.
This season, United have done a little better and moved back into the top 10, but they are still far from their old strong reputation. Right now, they are seventh in the league with eight wins from 18 matches, earning 29 points.