Manchester United have won their last three Premier League games, pushing Ruben Amorim’s side into the top four. Gary Neville then shared his thoughts.
Gary Neville believes the last seven days have been pivotal to Ruben Amorim’s reign as Manchester United manager.
The Red Devils beat Brighton 4-2 on Saturday night, making it their third win following a bounce-back win over Liverpool last weekend that saw them beat Sunderland before the October international break.
United got off to a good start, taking the lead thanks to a fine curler from Matheus Cunha and a deflected shot from Casemiro. The game appeared to be over when Brian Mbeumo beat Bad Verbruggen at the near post to score.
But Brighton wasn’t finished yet. After Patrick Dawg escaped a red card, Danny Welbeck returned and troubled his old club with a free-kick.
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The drama intensified when Sharalampos Kostoulas nodded home at the near post from a corner kick. However, Aiden Haven’s perfectly weighted through ball flicked Mbeumo out, who scored and celebrated in front of the Stretford End.
The win moves United into fourth place ahead of Liverpool’s game against Brentford later on Saturday.
Former Red Devils captain and defender Neville shared his thoughts after the match with Sky Sports, revealing his belief that last week could be big for the underdog Amorim.
He told Sky Sports: “This game showed that after what happened at Anfield last week, Manchester United couldn’t take a step back and today’s win was absolutely crucial.” “I think it was the best and most important week in the job for Ruben Amorim. I think it gave him some time.”
“I’m not saying he’s not in form, but Manchester United are moving towards the top of the league and he’s certainly feeling a lot of pressure.”
When Jamie Redknapp asked if Manchester United were finally a team that fans could rally around, Neville revealed some inside information about the manager.
“A few weeks ago I was a little worried that the players didn’t believe in Reuben Amorim’s system,” Neville confessed. “Maybe there was an element of not winning the game and all of us (myself included) starting to question and listen to the noise that was being added to it.
“But one thing that’s absolutely indisputable when you talk to people around the club is that they really like him as a person, and that’s very important, because I don’t think there’s any doubt – in terms of spirit and energy and how they feel about him, he’s second to none in the dressing room.”
“They want to play for him, they want to win and I think you saw that come together last week. I mean, winning at Anfield in any season is special, but I think the win at Anfield, which was unexpected for Ruben Amorim, gave them a lot of courage.”
“We’re looking forward to the game against Nottingham Forest next week and then away to Tottenham the following week. We still have a big job to do next month, but this feels like a month of reckoning. If we’d had a poor start against Liverpool last week, we might have gone in a different direction, but we feel very different. We seem to have a bit of momentum and I think the spirit is good.”
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