Rob Dawson, Correspondent
MANCHESTER, England — Ruben Amorim has admitted he is “concerned” about the lack of goals in the Manchester United squad and challenged his players to fix the issue themselves rather than relying on the arrival of new signings.
Amorim has been linked with a move for striker Viktor Gyökeres, who he worked with at Sporting CP. But the 39-year-old head coach insists spending money on new signings is not the way to fix the problem.
“Of course, there is a concern in that [the lack of goals] but I think we have to improve as a team,” said Amorim, ahead of Thursday’s Europa League tie against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
“We have quality players that can score so many goals, You can feel in the second half [against Ipswich] we controlled possession of the ball but were not dangerous. We will try to improve as a team. Rasmus [Hojlund] and Rash [Marcus Rashford] and even Bruno [Fernandes] have to score more goals.
“All these guys need to improve, We can score so many goals. If I need new strikers to score, we can improve as a team.”
Rashford scored the first goal of Amorim’s reign after finding the net within 81 seconds against Ipswich.
Despite the bright start, Rashford was heavily criticised by some United fans for the rest of his performance at Portman Road before being substituted in the 68th minute. The 27-year-old has struggled for form for nearly 18 months and Amorim insists it’s the forward’s responsibility to make sure he gets back to his best.
“We have to find the best solution for him,” Amorim said. “He has to be Marcus to return to that moment. He has to be the first one to want it. Then you will have the help of all the staff and fans because he is a Manchester United boy.”
Meanwhile, Amorim has also accepted Ed Sheeran’s apology for crashing his post-match interview after the draw with Ipswich.
Sheeran, a Ipswich shareholder, posted a statement on social media after an awkward encounter during Amorim’s interview with Sky Sports.
“Sometimes you overcomplicate things,” Amorim said. “It was nothing, a simple thing to say hello to one of the commentators. And I was with Roy Keane, who is a real star, so it was nothing.”