Ruben Amorim acknowledged Manchester United’s efforts in an eventual end-to-end Premier League Summer Series game and claimed the “momentum of the tour was perfect.”
United took part in the pre-season tournament, which was held across the United States, and came out victorious while maintaining an unbeaten status. They started with a 2-1 victory against West Ham before condemning Bournemouth 4-1 in a way which shows clear improvement to the United side we witnessed last season.
Amorim has worked tirelessly this summer to try and make his players fully understand the 3-4-3 system and has signed multiple players including Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo — of whom both feature against Everton on Sunday.
Despite a telling performance which had all the ingredients for a comfortable victory, Amorim’s side ended up drawing after Amad Diallo drove the ball into his own net with 15 minutes to go and the Portuguese manager believes they could have done more to seek the win.
"I think we struggled today a little bit," said Amorim.
"So it's just that, the feeling of not performing like we're supposed to do, but it was okay. I think it has to do with the long balls and then second balls, but sometimes even with different players you struggle. You see all the games from Everton, even different midfielders suffer with this kind of game.
"They break the team with two centre backs changing possession and then they kick the ball and then the second ball. We struggle a little bit with that, not just the second balls, but the first balls. We struggle in the build-up, but we create chances and that is really important to win any match.
"You can perform, I don't like to say bad, but we can struggle a little bit in the game, but if you create chances you can win even that kind of game.
"If you play well, they will say that we play really well, something on the opposite side. It's the same thing, so we need to be really consistent. We already knew that we had two weeks, this will not change in two weeks, but we are better.
"Even in this game we create chances and that is really important. But of course, I think it's the perfect feeling to go back to Carrington. I think the momentum of the tour was perfect.
"So we had the weeks to work with a good environment, good feeling, and then we go back to Carrington and we are near to start the season. We are going with the feeling that we need to do a lot of things."
Amorim responds to Fernandes' "lazy" comment
Bruno Fernandes was first scorer for United after finishing from the penalty spot before Mason Mount came onto the pitch and, 12 minutes later, scored a wonderful, curling goal to double United’s tally.
Fernandes was the subject of plenty of drama, as he is almost every weekend in the Premier League and exchanged words with Everton's Iliman Ndaiye when the United captain kicked him one too many times while the Toffees were on a counter-attack.
It came at a time where David Moyes’ side found the edge in terms of momentum and it led Fernandes, in a post-match interview, to claim they were “a little bit lazy." He added: “We have to avoid that because [with] laziness, you can pay at any moment.”
So what could United have done? After a series of pre-season games, and one yet to go against Fiorentina at Old Trafford, it seems to be an exertive season already.
It’s straight back to work for Amorim’s side when they return from the United States at the start of this week, who said he is “happy for the players to have that feeling.”
He said: "It's saying that they understand the situation. So it's a good feeling. So tomorrow we are going to travel, one day off and we return to Carrington to work.
"Understanding that in this club everything is ups and downs. We understand that, but I prefer that feeling than the other."