Amorim confident of improving Manchester United despite Forest defeat

Ruben Amorim insists he is “going to improve the team” despite Manchester United suffering successive Premier League defeats following a 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest

The defeat was the new United boss’ second in a row, and his first at Old Trafford, after early goals in both halves helped give a spirited Forest side the victory.

Nikola Milenkovic found the net inside the opening 90 seconds of the match but Rasmus Hojlund levelled the scores 15-minutes later.

Morgan Gibbs-White then struck less than two minutes into the second-half before in-form Chris Wood became Forest’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League when he nodded in a third.

Bruno Fernandes pulled a goal back but, despite a late flurry of half-chances for the hosts, the visitors held on for a first win on United turf in 30 years.

A narrow defeat at Old Trafford.#MUFC || #MUNNFO

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 7, 2024

Before the game, Amorim had predicted a storm would come, and on a day when fixtures up and down the football pyramid were impacted by Storm Darragh, the United manager’s premonitions came to pass.

“It’s not a surprise because we came in in the middle of a lot of games,” Amorim said to Sky Sports about the result.

“We already knew that. If you have a little experience in football, you will understand these moments.”

The result comes just three days after United fell to a 2-0 defeat to rivals Arsenal and just hours after the club’s minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, called the club “mediocre” in an interview published in fanzine United We Stand.

Chris Wood has done it AGAIN for Nottingham Forest! 💪

Wood’s header sails over Onana to make it three for the away side 😯 pic.twitter.com/2ViTTZf5dE

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 7, 2024

And while Amorim understands the frustration of the fans after a loss, he is confident he can turn the tide at Old Trafford.

“It’s really disappointing for the fans,” Amorim added.

“It’s really hard to see these kind of games after so many times with the disappointment.

“But we are here to do the job and we will continue the same way, doing the same things. And we are going to improve the team.”

Next up for Manchester United is a trip to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday before the Manchester derby on Sunday.