Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has said that his main priority is avoiding relegation as the club sit 15th in the Premier League table.
United were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and, although Amorim's side got the better chances, they couldn't provide a finishing touch to outclass James Maddison's opener.
Amorim's sole focus on survival is presumably judged upon United's uninspiring position in the top-flight, having accrued 29 points in 25 games.
"Of course, every day we think about the bigger picture, but now is not the time to focus on that," Amorim said. "Right now, we need to take it game by game, recover players, and focus only on what we can control."
An injury-hit squad in north London
It was a sour week for Amorim leading up to the tie in north London and, with Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte all absent, United's squad was shapeless.
In fact, Casemiro made his first start of 2025 and third appearance of the year due to the lack of options for the United head coach, who admitted that every manager is going through the same crisis.
He said: "Every coach in the world is suffering from these situations. Sometimes, everything goes wrong at once, but we have to face the challenge and move forward.
"We try everything to have the players fit. I always talk about my changes game by game, trying to keep the squad fresh. But sometimes, in one week, you lose so many players, and everything seems to go wrong."
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Zirkzee and Dorgu did well, says Amorim
Positives did come from Amorim's limited squad however, with Joshua Zirkzee proving his worth in the 10 role, as well as Patrick Dorgu - who the club signed for £25m from Serie A club Lecce - using his experience to play on either side.
He said: "Josh isn’t a clear No. 9—he plays more as a 10. He’s strong physically, he’s improving, and he’s winning more duels. You can feel his presence in the game, and that helps us make decisions.
"Dorgu also did well. The way Tottenham pressed high meant he had more time to think in certain moments, which helped him. He has the experience to play on both the left and right, and he will improve a lot."
Tough trip to Goodison Park awaits
United's fixture list doesn't seem to settle down any more as they visit Goodison Park on Saturday, with the Toffees climbing the table relentlessly after David Moyes' reappointment.
