Amorim responds to Dyche's sensational '4-4-2' remark ahead of United-Forest clash: 'He knows how to play the game'

Manchester United are high on confidence after what would feel like ages for its supporters following their thrilling 4-2 victory over Brighton. Not only did the ‘Red Devils’ complete a hat-trick of victories, they also caught up with cross-town rivals Manchester City after a slow start to the season and were briefly in the top four.

United will be hoping to remain in the Champions League spots when they face Nottingham Forest in their next fixture on Saturday. For manager Ruben Amorim though, the Matchday 10 face-off against the ‘Tricky Trees’ carries additional significance.

Forest’s current manager Sean Dyche, who had joined the club last week following Ange Postecoglou's unceremonious exit, had made a sensational statement in August when he was out of work.

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The 54-year-old, who had been fired by Everton in January, had claimed he in August that he could do a better job than Amorim with a 4-4-2 system had he been put in charge of the side that had been struggling early in the 2025-26 season.

“I may get hammered for it, but I bet I could win more games with that squad playing a 4-4-2,” Dyche had said in an appearance on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

‘It’s a completely different job’

Amorim, however, smiled in response to Dyche’s comment on the eve of United’s away game against Forest at the City Ground, stating that it was an expert’s job to make headlines by saying “very strong things”.

“First of all, maybe it’s true if we play 4-4-2. We won more games, but I always said that I have a way of playing that is going to take a while, but in the future it’s going to be better. So we don’t know that. Then I can look at Sean Dyche as a manager and then as a pundit,” Amorim, who has preferred a 3-4-3 formation at United, told reporters in the pre-match press conference.

“If you are a pundit and you don’t say very strong things, I don’t want to watch you! I’m the same. So I can understand that it’s a completely different job. I know that Sean Dyche is really smart and he knows how to play the game,” he added.

The Portuguese manager, who had a successful run with Sporting CP in Primeira Liga before joining United in November last year, added that it’s one thing to make such claims on a podcast or a show, and it’s an entirely different thing to actually walk the talk as the manager of a Premier League club.

“And he also understands that one thing is when we are seeing the game and talking about the game, the other thing is to coach a team. So I understand that, I have nothing to say, I just want to win the next game

United have room for improvement despite hat-trick of wins, says Amorim

While the 20-time English top-flight champions had cruised to a comfortable victory over Sunderland at home, they had to hold their nerve and fight till the very end in their subsequent fixtures against Liverpool and Brighton after their opponents staged late fightbacks.

And Amorim warned his team to prepare for a vastly different battle against Forest, even if they are in the drop zone with just five points in nine outings.

“We need to be prepared for a different game against Brighton. We had space to play. We are not going to have that space. You need to understand that we are not being the same team away and at home.

“So we need to improve the way we control the environment. Every tackle is a big moment for the opponent’s fans, so we need to play better away. We are prepared for a very tough match,” Amorim added.