‘We still believe’: Manuel Ugarte backs Ruben Amorim’s new era

Manuel Ugarte has said Ruben Amorim has the backing of the Manchester United squad despite his difficult start as head coach.

Amorim was brought in to save United’s season, taking over from Erik ten Hag in November. However, the club’s 15th-place finish made it their worst domestic campaign for more than 50 years.

The former Sporting Lisbon manager is now set to take charge of his first full season and, Ugarte — who played for Amorim at Sporting CP — has insisted he’s still the right man for the job.

“We have to improve things,” Ugarte said. “We have matches to prepare for. We are all very motivated, because we believe in the coach, we believe in what he wants and that is very important.”

Manuel Ugarte in action during the Premier League Summer Series match between Manchester United & West Ham United. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Heading into his second season at Old Trafford, Ugarte will face more criticism than he did in his first season.

The former Paris Saint-Germain star at times in his first season struggled with the pace of the Premier League and a dip in form towards the end of the season culminated in his surprise omission for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham in Bilbao.

However, Amorim has said the Uruguayan has returned this summer in a more confident mood and Ugarte backed up the claim with an impressive performance in the 2-1 win over West Ham in New Jersey on Saturday.

“Last year we made some changes, we changed our coach, we changed our formation,” he said. “This year I am good, I am very excited. It is important to perform well in this club, with United.

“You have to have responsibilities when you play for United. I am very happy and we have to keep going.

“Sometimes the connections take time to get to know each other. I already know the league, the rivals, which is important.”