Coach Ruben Amorim: 'Manchester United's defense seriously lacks quality'

Ruben Amorim admitted regarding transfers that Manchester United “lack quality” in defense.

Ruben Amorim will not turn to the transfer market to fix the defensive issues at Manchester United, even though he admits his team is “lacking quality” in defense following the chaotic 4-4 draw against Bournemouth in the 16th round of the Premier League. In that match at Old Trafford, the Red Devils took the lead three times and displayed vibrant attacking football but repeatedly exposed defensive errors.

Amad Diallo and Casemiro scored in the first half, yet Manchester United still fell behind 3-2. Two quick goals within three minutes from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha seemed to secure the win, but Junior Kroupi’s timely equalizer for Bournemouth ended a disappointing night for the Old Trafford side.

So far this season, only Manchester City have scored more than Manchester United’s 30 Premier League goals. However, Amorim’s team has conceded 26 goals, a defensive record worse than the bottom four teams and Bournemouth itself. While satisfied with some aspects of his team’s defense, Amorim remains concerned about their ability to protect the goal.

“I think we press better and control the game better in areas far from our goal. But when defending right in front of the goal, we lack quality. That’s something we must address,” Amorim stated.

“It’s frustrating to concede so many goals when the opponents don’t create as many chances, actually far fewer than we give them. That’s really disappointing, but we need to work hard to improve our defending inside the penalty box.”

During the summer transfer window, Manchester United spent up to £215 million to strengthen their attack, focusing resources on offensive signings. The trio of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko all contributed to the fourth goal, significantly boosting the team’s scoring efficiency.

However, current concerns lie in defense. Despite defensive issues, Amorim insists he has no plans to use money to solve the problem.

“No, I believe we have talent in defense, quality players at the back. What we need is to defend better as a collective,” he emphasized.

“But that’s also a positive sign, at least it shows we have taken good care of our attacking front and are making progress. I don’t think these two issues are the same. We have the necessary qualities; we just need to work together and improve each player because they definitely have the quality to defend better.”