Ruben Amorim takes brutal swipe at Ed Sheeran as Man Utd boss admits Sky Sports pundit ‘is the real star’
RUBEN AMORIM has had a dig back at Ed Sheeran for gatecrashing his Sky TV interview at the weekend, claiming he was standing next to the “real star” in Roy Keane.
Sheeran has sold more than 150 million records worldwide making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
He is also an Ipswich fan and was clearly a bit giddy after his side earned a creditable draw at home to Manchester United on Sunday.
He blundered in on Sky’s post-match pitchside interview with new Manchester United boss Amoim being questioned by Kelly Cates, Roy Keane, Izzy Christiansen and Jamie Redknapp.
Amorim looked less than impressed having overseen a poor United display in drawing 1-1 with the relegation-threatened Suffolk side having taken a second-minute lead.
Sheeran was trying to interact with Redknapp before Cates told him they were interviewing Amorim.
Sheeran looked across to Amorim and said: ‘I don’t think he wants to speak to me’.
Asked about the embarrassing situation ahead of United’s Europa League clash with Bodo Glimt tomorrow, Amorim put Sheeran in his place.
He said: “Here you are used to that, in Portugal it’s different.
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Amorim needs A LOT of time on training pitch to fix Man Utd... unfortunately he won't get it, writes Charlie Wyett
IN theory at least, the only way is up for Manchester United, writes Charlie Wyett.
We are nearly a third of the way through this Premier League season and it is still staggering to see United lurking in 12th place.
They have managed just four wins with a goal difference of 0. Only Everton, Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored less.
It is certainly not a false position and a point at Ipswich illustrated the massive job that Ruben Amorim faces.
United’s fans sang the name of their new manager throughout the game.
They also gave the players rapturous applause on the final whistle and although this was an improvement on some of the performances this season, the bar has been set pretty low.
The club’s optimistic supporters will see that their team is only six points off the top four. Ultimately, though, it is difficult to see United even reaching last season’s final position of eighth as they look worse.
United’s patched-up defence will improve – and a three-man formation at the back will help them – but you have to wonder where the goals are going to come from. Marcus Rashford struck after 81 seconds and then went missing for the rest of his 68 minutes on the pitch.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee were also introduced in that double change midway inside the second half but added absolutely nothing. What a terrible couple of signings they have proved to be and United’s fans would swap both of them for Ipswich’s Liam Delap.
Amorim did not celebrate the Rashford goal and paced around his technical area throughout looking uneasy.
Each time there was a break in play, he called over players for instructions.
Alejandro Garnacho headed over to the touchline on a couple of occasions while there were also words for Diogo Dalot, Casemiro and Jonny Evans.
Amorim, a manager with infectious enthusiasm, will be hopeful he can get his message across to all of the players in the next few weeks.
But the problem for the Portuguese coach is that this was the first of 10 games in the space of 33 days.
What he really needs are spells on the training ground without a midweek game but he does not have that luxury.
“For me, it was nothing. I was with Roy Keane, he’s a real star, it was really, really okay.”
Sheeran issued an apology on social media, admitting he felt like “a bit of a b******.”
Amorin has moved on from the Sheeran debacle and is now focused on getting his strikers, Marcus Rashford included, firing on all cylinders.
Rashford launched the new era under Amorim with a goal inside two minutes away to Ipswich on Sunday before the team slumped to a miserable 1-1 draw.
Now new boss Amorim says it is down to Rashford to take the first steps to get his best form back before he can start helping him.
Amorim said: “ We’ll try to find the right solution for him, as for the other players.
“But he has to be Marcus, first of all, to try to return to that moment and then he will have all the help of the staff, the club and the fans.
“Because he’s a Manchester United boy. But he has to be the first one to want it.”
Amorim played Rashford as a number nine through the middle from the start at Portman Road while he named strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Jushua Zirkzee on the bench.
Amorim put paid to any ideas that would be a permanent role for Rashford, however, with him ready to put him back on the flank for tomorrow night’s Europa League tie with Bodo Glimt.
He said: “That position is not the best one for him, especially in a game like that,
“We have to kick with high pressure, we have to kick the ball so many times and he was like fighting with two giants.
“We have to find the right solutions for him and other players.”
United’s lack of goals has been a problem for some time now.
They were the lowest scorers in the top half of the table last season alongside Crystal Palace with just 57 goals.
This season United sit 12th and only three teams in the league have fewer than their 13 goals.
Rashford is their current top scorer with five, while Zirkzee and Hojlund have only one each.
And Amorim admits the lack of goals is a problem.
He said: “Of course, there is a concern in that but I think we have to improve as a team.
“Because we have quality players who can score so many goals.
“But you could feel it in the second half on Sunday we controlled possession of the ball but we were not dangerous.
“Maybe because we spend the week trying to work on build-up and then the rest was not working.
“We will try to improve as a team and Rasmus, Josh and Rash will score more goals.
“Even Bruno (Fernandes )has to score more goals! Amad has to be better near the goal.
“All these guys need to improve and we can score so many goals.
“We need to improve as a team and these players can score goals.”