Wayne Rooney has accused Ruben Amorim of exaggerating his importance at Manchester United following an extraordinary rant following the 1-1 draw with Leeds. Amorim overruled his authority and made the bombshell in the post-match press conference as tensions rose behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
The United manager had previously expressed disagreement with club executives over plans for the January transfer window. “I feel that if I have to play a perfect 3-4-3, it will cost a lot of money and time,” he declared on Christmas Eve. “We’re starting to understand that that’s not going to happen, so we may have to adapt.”
Amorim did not elaborate on his comments ahead of United’s 1-1 draw with Leeds.
But when asked about receiving the board’s support after the match, his genuine emotions came out beautifully.
“I know my name is not[Thomas]Tuchel,[Antonio]Conte or[Jose]Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United,” he declared.
“This is going to be the case for 18 months, or until the board decides to make a change. That’s what I was saying. I want to be done with this. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to do my job until someone else comes here to take my place.”
“I just want to say, I’m not just a coach, I’m going to be the manager of this team. I knew that for sure. It would be 18 months and then everyone would move on. That was the deal. That’s my job, not to be the coach.”
Former United striker Rooney was surprised by Amorim’s comments and warned the Portuguese manager that he was overstepping his bounds.
Asked about Amorim’s comments on The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said: “It’s strange, it’s interesting. I think his choice of words is decisive and confusing. I think he speaks with confidence and authority. I think he knows he’s going to be there as manager (for the next 18 months) and that he’s still going to be the manager.”
“And that’s the only reason I can assume he’s speaking with that belief because the last two games haven’t been very good. It’s very confusing.
“I don’t think he’ll last another 18 months if things continue like this. I think that’s natural. I think he needs to earn the right to decide exactly what happens at a football club, especially a football club like Manchester United.”
“For example, if[Pep]Guardiola came to United, no one would question what kind of players he wanted to bring in or the system.
“I feel a little bit sorry for him (Amorim) because the team is not good enough. The players he has on the bench are young academy kids. It’s great to see them on the bench, but are they ready at the moment? It’s very difficult to get young players on the football pitch when the team is not very good. So I feel a little bit sorry for him.”
“But he’s not Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp. He doesn’t have that history or background. So I don’t think he should speak with the authority that he does and I just think the words he’s saying are very confusing to me.”
