“The performance of the players was fantastic,” says Ruud Van Nistelrooy after the one-all draw with Chelsea as Manchester United prepare to face PAOK in the UEFA Europa League.
The interim manager of the Red Devils took charge of his second game and oversaw a fortunate outcome in a time when the club is in transition.
There were many missed chances and a number of poor plays, but the former United striker stated that the team he put out to face Chelsea did well and even deserved more than the point they salvaged from the tie.
“I’m slightly disappointed we didn’t take the win, to be honest,” he said. “I think we had the better of the chances in the game. Garna was close three times, Marcus hit the post with a great attack and Bruno in the last couple of minutes where he had the shot, when it bounced off one of the Chelsea defenders.
“Overall I think the performance of the players was fantastic. They left their all out there on the pitch and in the end, of course, we settled for a draw.”
His next challenge is preparing the team for their Europa League fixture against PAOK and while they is going on well, the club’s incoming manager is already getting familiar with the English press.
Ruben Amorim will be taking charge of Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League one last time and his opponents will be Manchester City, who he will still face in the Premier League.
The manager, while fielding questions from the English press, spoke about how he almost ended up at City instead of United.
It was confirmed last month that Viana, who appointed Amorim at Sporting in 2020, will become Man City’s new director of football at the end of the season. According to Amorim, Viana wanted both of them to move to the Etihad at the end of the season, when it is believed that Pep Guardiola would leave the club.
“Obviously, it’s something which crossed my mind but I never had any doubt,” he said. “My decision has been made, that’s the club I want to work for, the context I want to be in, and where I want to continue my career.
“I didn’t want anything else. It is a decision I thought about but was not undecided about it. I wanted Man Utd and that’s what I did.”
Amorim also addressed the possibility of becoming a Man United hero before being unveiled at Old Trafford if he managed to beat City on Tuesday.
“If it is a very negative outcome, the expectations will drop. That’s not exactly a poor starting point to start at Man Utd,” he said.
“If we win tomorrow, people will think the new Sir Alex Ferguson has arrived – and that will be difficult to live up to!”
