Ruben Amorim refused to point the finger at keeper Andre Onana after his blunder cost Manchester United dearly in their 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
The Cameroon international Onana missed a straightforward save from Morgan Gibbs-White's effort, allowing Forest to snatch a 2-1 lead just after half-time. Nottingham Forest swiftly notched another through Chris Wood, and despite Bruno Fernandes giving United hope with a goal, they couldn't avoid back-to-back defeats under Amorim's guidance.
The Portuguese coach, who has won only one of four league games in a miserable start to life in England, defended his goalkeeper after the defeat, stating that rather than Onana needing to show a marked improvement, his team needed to score more goals.
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He said: "He (Onana) saved us a lot of times so we have to find a way to turn it around and score two goals to help our keeper for the way he, for example, saved us at Ipswich.
Looking at the bigger picture and how his team find themselves slumped in 14th place in the Premier League, Amorim emphasised the size of the task ahead: "We already knew it would be a long journey but we want to win. It's a massive job. We need to improve on a lot of things," reports the Mirror.
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim looks dejected after Manchester United lost again (Image: No credit)
Drawing parallels with his previous role, Amorim said: "I had this and worse at Sporting at the beginning. Manchester United is bigger because of the attention but the feeling for me is the same."
Stressing consistency in tactics and approach, Amorim remained optimistic despite the setbacks. He said: "It happens in a lot of squads, but you need to keep doing the same things and it will turn around."
Striker Rasmus Hojlund, who was on target for United, acknowledged the need for improvement, especially from set pieces.
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He said: "We need to do better, specifically on corners. We've conceded too much now but I'm sure we'll improve. There's a lot of games left, it's not an ideal situation but we need to try and stay positive."
In stark contrast to United's gloom, Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo was buoyant, celebrating the early impact on the game. He said: "The first action of the game we scored and then it makes everything different.
"We knew United would react so then it's about unity and hard work. We were brave especially early in the second half and it was nice to see. We are trying to do something together and build something nice."