The Man Utd head coach is under fresh scrutiny after the defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League.
Matthijs De Ligt insists Manchester United will 'work hard' to improve under Ruben Amorim and prove their doubters wrong after derby defeat to Man City. United were swept aside by their noisy neighbours over the weekend as a goal from Phil Foden and an Erling Haaland brace secured a simple three points for Pep Guardiola's side.
The defeat means United have taken just four points from four matches in the Premier League this season, their worst start to a campaign in 33 years. It also means Amorim has the lowest win percentage of any permanent United manager since World War II.
Amorim is under fresh pressure to keep his job at Old Trafford, though it is understood the club hierarchy still backs him to turn things around. The Portuguese head coach was only appointed in November of last year and was backed with £225 million in the summer transfer window.
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United will need to show huge signs of improvement when they face Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend, and De Ligt acknowledges there is a lot of work to be done. Asked how he keeps his cool amid continued speculation over Amorim's future, he told reporters: "As we've always done, we just have to work hard. We have to improve as a team and hopefully get better.”
When asked whether he believes Amorim will turn things around at United, he added: "We have to prove it, otherwise it's no use.”
De Ligt had started well against City at the weekend but was exposed by the tactical shortfalls of his team and the lack of cover from central midfield. Asked for his verdict on the match, he said: "In the first half, I think they were the better team. But they didn't have a lot of chances. I felt we had a lot of opportunities to create chances. We just couldn’t make the last ball count.
"In the second half, they scored the 2-0 pretty quickly. But then we went 3-0 down in a rather clumsy fashion. We played better in the second half but they were definitely much better. And they have quality players up front. That makes all the difference."
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