Former Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen says Ruben Amorim’s headline-grabbing comments did not help the team during their struggles last season.
Eriksen spent three seasons at Old Trafford before departing at the end of his contract over the summer, signing for Wolfsburg as his career continues at 33 years old.
The Dane played under Erik ten Hag and then Amorim, with the Portuguese coach taking over in November last year.
Things did not go well for Amorim over the rest of last season, with the Red Devils finishing 15th in the Premier League and failing to win a trophy.
The manager did not hide his side’s failings, making statements including: ‘We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United.’
Eriksen did not love those kind of comments, saying the players were well aware that their manager had created another negative headline during a very difficult period.
‘That didn’t help. Yeah, that didn’t help at all,’ Eriksen told The Sunday Times. ‘I mean, that was not… I don’t think that helped the players at all.
‘Some stuff you can say inside and it’s not too clever to say outside, to put extra pressure and put an extra label on the players who were already trying to do their best.
‘I don’t think that helped at all, no. Then if he’s right or wrong, whatever, but I think for us it was a bit of like, “Oh, here we go again. Another headline.”‘
Eriksen racked up 35 appearances in his final season with Manchester United but was not a regular starter under Amorim before he was let go at the end of his deal.
The veteran says the manager was ‘very, very, very honest’ with him when he arrived at the club from Sporting.
‘Yeah, he came in with his ideas. He tried to change things as you still see, tried to get it his way,’ said Eriksen. ‘Certain players for certain positions, for a certain style of play, that’s how he sees success.
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‘He has to change a lot because the players were not used to that system. Also, historically, United always liked a different system.
‘And yeah, he’s been very honest and also, yeah, honest with me from the beginning. Very, very, very honest, I would say.’
Amorim did apologise for his ‘worst team in history’ comment, which he made after a defeat to Brighton.
Ahead of Manchester United’s next outing, he said: ‘I’m a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake.
‘That’s why I don’t talk after the game. This game, I needed to talk and maybe it was a mistake and then I get more nervous and go to the press conference really nervous and say things I shouldn’t say, that’s it. I don’t promise you I won’t do it again, but I will try to improve.’
Manchester United legend Gary Neville backed the boss at the time, saying he was speaking honestly and passion in an effort to shake his players into a response.
‘I can sympathise with him because emotion and passion is everything I want in a football club and manager,’ said Neville. ‘It is hurting so he wants to come out and speak his mind and that is something I admire.
Man Utd under Ruben Amorim
Played: 61
Won: 24
Drawn: 16
Lost: 21
‘It is what we ask for, everybody to be honest and authentic. We can’t sit here as broadcasters and knock him for it. What I try and do to understand what the impact is, what would it be like in your own business? If you go into the office and your boss says you are the worst group of people they have had in the office, there would be devastation an the boss probably wouldn’t survive.
‘The employees would lose faith, confidence and belief so you can only imagine the impact it had on the players. Hearing it from your own manager is different, it has a deeper meaning. He rolled back probably because of people above or players who would say, “It kills us”.
‘Who is it directed at? Every player has got to ask themselves the question, “Does he mean me?” He will have realised the impact of his words on the people who he is asking to perform for him every week. But he needed to send a message to everybody that this needs to change dramatically.’