Man Utd: Amorim responds to Man City, Viana links as he defends one Red Devils star

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim insists he didn’t have any contact with Man City before he agreed to become the new Red Devils manager.

Amorim has started his time at Old Trafford with one draw, one win and two losses in his first four Premier League matches, while he has won his two Europa League games in charge.

Man Utd face Man City in the Manchester Derby on Sunday hoping to climb up the Premier League table with Amorim’s side currently 13th.

Before joining Man Utd, there were rumours Man City had made contact over potentially lining up Amorim if Pep Guardiola left at the end of the season.

In the end Guardiola signed a new contract and Amorim arrived at Old Trafford – but the Portuguese coach insiststhere was no conversations with Man City or compatriot Hugo Viana, who will become the new director of football at the Etihad Stadium next season.

Amorim told a pre-match press conference on Friday: “Never, I never had [conversations]. This was my only option.

“When Manchester United talked to me, I have no doubts because I had already something in my mind that it could be a possibility. And with Manchester City or Hugo Viana, nothing about that.”

When asked if he feels his side will face a weaker Man City at the weekend, the Man Utd boss replied: “No, no. The great teams can respond at any moment. And I think they are in a better place than us in the type of understanding the game, the way they play, the confidence they have.

“Even in these kind of moments, we have a lot to focus on our team. So our focus is total of course, we will have a strategy: try to win the game with the strategy like it should be. But we are focused just on our team.”

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Andre Onana has made a couple of mistakes in the Red Devils’ last couple of fixtures and when asked if he was concerned about his form heading into such a big game, Amorim said: “Yeah we have to take it like it is. He had already, in the past, a situation like that. So we have to work on this.

“If you see the play, we are trying to build up a lot with the goalkeeper making the balls with Matta [Matthijs de Ligt] a lot of times.

“This time, we have a disconnect a little bit during the play and, when we try this, we suffered a goal, a difficult goal for us in the start of the second half. But we managed today, not like against Nottingham [Forest]. We managed to help Onana, like he did in the past for us.”

When asked about team news and whether Jonny Evans will be fit, Amorim continued: “I don’t think so. It was five minutes ago, so I have to see it.

“But no, just some players were tired in the end, you could see it, also because of the transitions, it was a crazy game in the end today. But I think everyone is going to be fit and ready to win the game. [Jonny?] Yeah, he’s training already.”