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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says he will rotate his side ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Everton at Old Trafford.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the game, which was recorded immediately after last night’s victory over Bodo/Glimt, Amorim said he wants to win the game at all costs but that rotation would be necessary.
“I’m hoping to win. It’s going to be a different match with a lot of fighting, long balls, second balls.
“A quality coach that understands the league, who understands the movement of the opponent.
“We need to have the ball, because we have a short time to recover. We need to rotate the team.
“So I’m hopeful for a win and I’m hopeful to see different things from my team, improvement as there was from Ipswich to now, different things and better things.”
Asked about Diogo Dalot, he responded:
“He is very powerful. We have to rotate him sometimes because he looks always fresh but it’s not always like that, he’s not a machine.
“I think he plays better on the right, he’s a very good player, very powerful, that can play both sides. Nowadays a player that can play both sides is like … it’s perfect … so I expect the same as you saw last year, a great player that can help the team, and he’s really a team player.”
The next question was about getting his methods over to the players.
“I was a football player, and more than 12 minutes, forget it, they will lose the concentration. So we have to work on indoor stadium, we have that, instead of video we do it like walking and jogging, showing some videos. Then we have all the stuff, for example Carlos is with the strikers, to show individual moments.
“Trying to see the game, what is missing. They are very good players, they have to believe.”
Asked about the time for preparation compared to Everton’s he responded:
“It is what it is. We will rotate players and we’ll be ready. We managed the fitness [against Glimt] so we have to do it. No excuse.
“Without training you have to use the games. I felt we played with more intensity. Mason Mount for 60 minutes with high intensity, Rasmus was dead in the end. The guys that are playing have to push more and the other guys have to train tomorrow. Luke Shaw did some minutes but he has to train again.”
Amorim was then asked whether he thinks Mason Mount will be a valuable member of his team.
“First thing is he’s working really hard. And then you have to understand the human as well, he wants this really bad, and that’s the most important thing.
“I think he proved to all of you he’s a talented player. He was European champion. So we believe a lot in him, he has to stay fit, today he did a great job, Mason Mount is a proper footballer, I believe a lot in Mason Mount.”
The final question was about wing backs.
“Today if I ask you guys you saw more 4-4-2 defending, I think you agree?” he said.
“But then we have two wide players … but you have to change the characteristics, because Dalot and Malacia, they are more defenders because they defend in the back four, and today Amad and Antony defended like a winger and stay open. So what I want is good one-on-one, to open the field when they have the ball and close the field when they don’t.
“So I think the structure is more fluid than you guys think, three defenders, it’s more the characteristics of the player.”
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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