Ruben Amorim has candidly reflected on his tumultuous tenure at Manchester United, conceding that "everything has been challenging" since taking the helm. And the United boss has also come to the defence of under-fire striker Rasmus Hojlund despite his lack of goals. The Portuguese tactician, whose squad are gearing up for a pivotal Europa League clash against Real Sociedad, has managed to secure only 11 wins out of 26 matches since arriving.
Despite the rocky road, the 40-year-old coach believes the trials have honed his managerial skills: "I think everything has been challenging. I don't want to say difficult, but challenging. I'm learning a lot. Even the type of game is completely different. And I felt in the Europa League, the game is so different and I'm learning that. I'm learning also because I was so lucky and I had a small experience as a coach, but I was always winning.
"And when you are winning, you can say whatever you want. And I'm quite honest and I've always felt really free, because I back myself with the results. And when you don't have the results, you have to balance that. And I'm learning that also."
Amorim also acknowledged the intense scrutiny that comes with managing a high-profile club like United: "Here, everybody has an opinion and the type of opinions here are stronger, with a lot of legends, and you have to manage that. But when I said on the first day that I really don't care, and when I say I really don't care, it's that I know that the results will change everything.
"You can have an opinion today, next year at the same time, at the same hour, you will find me a completely different coach. So I'm focused on that. And the hardest part is to lose. I will say it again, no matter what people say without the context, the squad, that doesn't matter. Not winning games as a coach, it's the hardest part of our job."
Amorim leapt to the defence of the much-maligned Hojlund, insisting the young forward is still making a significant contribution to the team despite his 20-game goal drought.
"We're trying to show the good things that people don't see," Amorim explained to Sky Sports News. "For example, the goal that we scored in Spain, you have a play with Diogo Dalot, with Alejandro Garnacho.
"If you look at the play, Joshua Zirkzee has the space because Rasmus did the run. And when Josh is shooting the ball, Rasmus is blocking one defender that can reach the ball. We showed that to the team before in the preparation for this game.
"So I'm trying to show that everybody here is really important. People cannot see, but I see it and Rasmus is doing a lot of things well, but he's in that moment that, as a striker, you need to score.
"Sometimes, when he has the opportunity or the ball, he struggles because the confidence is not there. But the work that he does in the games is helping us to, for example, achieve this stage of this competition."