Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said it might take the club 10 to 11 years to win the Premier League title again, but Ruben Amorim remains optimistic
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim responded to Sir Alex Ferguson's prediction
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Ruben Amorim has insisted that Manchester United won't need 10 or 11 years to challenge for the Premier League title, like Sir Alex Ferguson has predicted. United have not won the Premier League since Ferguson claimed his 13th league title in 2013 and have been struggling for consistency ever since their legendary boss retired.
Amorim could only lead United to 15th in the top flight in his debut campaign, with defeat in the Europa League final compounding a miserable start to life in the Old Trafford dugout. They currently sit sixth in the Premier League table following a summer of investment, but remain inconsistent.
Their 4-4 draw against Bournemouth on Monday showed improvements in attack following the £200million spend on Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, but also their leaky defence.
Ferguson remains a regular at Old Trafford and has been keeping a close eye on their development under Amorim, who has now been in charge for over a year and has won 23 of his 59 matches.
"He (Amorim) is a good personality. It is not easy,” Ferguson told Press Box PR. “I remember looking back on my own time there, starting off when Liverpool were the bee’s knees. They were a fantastic club winning the European Cup four times and all that, but then it took them 31 years to win the league again.
"We are now in the same situation. It could be 10 years, could be 11 years, because of that cycle. It has to be thought out carefully and we have to make sure the recruitment is going to be better than what it was."
United face Aston Villa in the league on Sunday and Amorim was asked about Ferguson's prediction in his pre-match press conference. “He understands football more than me, especially English football,” Amorim said. “I think we are not (going to) take that long to win a league.
Former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson arrives ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and West Ham United FC at Old Trafford
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave his honest thoughts on where the team is
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“I don’t know which manager is going to be here, but I truly believe that we can fight for the title in the next years. I think it’s not going to take so many years, but you never know.”
Amorim also responded to Kobbie Mainoo's half-brother wearing a 'Free Kobbie Mainoo' t-shirt at Old Trafford on Monday in a post that went viral on social media. “No, it was not Kobbie that wore the t-shirt," Amorim said when asked if he'd spoken to the midfielder about it.
“He is not going to start because of the t-shirt, but he is not going to the bench because of the t-shirt. He is going to play if we feel that he is the right guy to play. That is not an issue.
“I am used to (it). I am here for a year. It’s not new, so we have to deal with that, but I am not going to do something to Kobbie because someone in his family is doing something.”
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