Ruben Amorim on Roy Keane ‘disgrace’ comments: ‘We deserve all the criticism we get’ | OneFootball

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim says his side deserve the criticism they have received for their Premier League form this season.

It comes after former Man Utd midfielder Roy Keane called the team’s Premier League performances “disgraceful”.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he said: “They’re a disgrace, absolute disgrace. Disgraceful league performances – they should count their blessings.

“This United team can’t compete. Losing 15 league matches, it’s a disgrace.”

Asked about that criticism, Amorim responded: “I don’t have anything to say about the criticism, we deserve it. If we cannot accept everything in this kind of season then I think we are in the wrong business. I fully acknowledge that and agree with all the critics.

“In this moment it’s clear, we have to be smart, we have to take a risk to get a lot of the critique from everybody. The standards of Roy Keane and all these guys are really high.

“We are trying to do our best but I agree we can do better.”

Currently residing in 16th in the Premier League, the Red Devils’ progression to the Europa League final means they could secure Champions League qualification if they win it, however.

They will face fellow Premier League side Spurs in the final, who have already beaten them three times this season but are also experiencing their own issues domestically.

Despite the potential of European success, Amorim urged his side to improve their league form in the final three games of the season: “We have to acknowledge that we are Manchester United. We need to win games in the Premier League.

“We can not save anything from the Premier League. It’s a good thing that we’ll not have a lot of training.

“They’ll fight for their place in the final in these games. We have to use every game to improve, even to prepare the final but especially to prepare the future.”

“Of course they’ll fight for their places, they’ll be good, they’ll be excited. Even for the Premier League, [it’ll be beneficial] to have something in the mind that they can win.”

Despite that, juggling the two competitions will pose some problems for the head coach. He said: “We want to be competitive in the Premier League. Bruno [Fernandes] hasn’t got the problem of any injury, but Harry [Maguire] has, we’ll have to manage that, but they have to play. It’s better to play than stay out.”

“We have some players who have doubts, they’ll push forward a little bit [in their attempts to be declared fit] so we’ll have to manage that, not to take the risk.

“I will try to manage everything, they don’t need a lot of load now so the training will be soft in that department but of course they’ll push each other.

“I have to make a choice, what is the best for the club, not what is best for me. In this moment I’m going to try save all the players. It’s really important for us to win the final.”

With eyes on a European final, the red side of Manchester still must contend with their domestic responsibilities, and they host West Ham on Sunday.