Rio Ferdinand accuses Ruben Amorim of playing 'Russian Roulette' with Man Utd job
Ruben Amorim is in the midst of his best run of results as Manchester United boss but Rio Ferdinand maintains he's been playing a risky game with his style and tactics
Rio Ferdinand claims Ruben Amorim is playing "Russian Roulette with his job" as he refuses to change at Manchester United - which is now yielding results after a period of turmoil.
The Portuguese boss has been under the spotlight for much of the year he's been in his post, presiding over their worst ever Premier League campaign last term. A consistent talking point has been Amorim's 3-4-3 system, which he's refused to veer from despite the number of defeats.
The ex-Sporting Lisbon boss has defended his system when its been cited as the key issue during United's poor run, even suggesting United should sack him if they want to see a different way of playing.
His refusal to veer from his philosophy has paid off in more recent weeks. After beating Sunderland prior to the international break the team returned and stunned Liverpool at Anfield. That was the first time they'd won successive Premier League games under Amorim and they've since made it three on the bounce.
Ferdinand admits there is something to admire about Amorim's loyalty to his beliefs, but equally accepts it could have gone horribly wrong that he not begun getting results.
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"You can't press, press, press for 90 minutes, unless you're an absolute beast of a team. PSG do it. This manager couldn't do that with this squad.
"That's just sometimes how the cookie crumbles. We might look back in six months and, say Man United finish in the Champions League or something like that, he'll probably sit there confidently and go, 'Well, if I did change, I probably would be out of a job because I have been doing things that are alien to me'."
United's upturn in form has seen them win four of their last five and push them up to sixth in the table - level on points with Manchester City. They've leapfrogged Liverpool amid their poor run of results with Amorim's side now part of the European conversation.
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