Ruben Amorim responds to latest Man Utd job cuts as Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to axe 200 staff

Ruben Amorim has reiterated his determination to turn Manchester United around on the pitch - against a backdrop of savage job cuts off it.

United, currently languishing in 15th place in the Premier League, announced up to 200 new redundancies this week, on top of the 250 job cuts last summer. That means United's entire workforce is set to be cut by a third, with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team arguing the savage measures are necessary to address three years of financial losses.

Amorim admitted it is hard to manage with so many members of staff at risk of losing their jobs, and conceded it would be easier to accept if the team were delivering on the pitch. But Amorim has won just four of his 15 Premier League games in charge, with United in danger of being dragged closer towards the bottom three if they lose to 18th-placed Ipswich tomorrow.

"It is clear we have to address all the problems in the club," said Amorim. "But one important piece in this moment is to understand how we get to this situation and it has a lot to do with the lack of success of the football team, because we are the engine of any club. I want to improve the team.

"It's always hard. Everybody, they see their friends and team-mates losing their jobs, but we have to focus on what we can do to help the club. We as a club have to understand what we did wrong to get to this situation. It's hard enough and we know this year was really hard for everybody.

"We did, as a club, a lot of changes and when you are doing the changes, if you have a team who are doing well, who are winning games, it's easier for the fans and everyone to feel that change.

"But at this moment we're in a difficult period inside the club and the pitch, so we have to fight against this feeling and do our job and we try our best to help the team to perform better."

Reflecting on United's 2-2 draw at Everton on Saturday, in which they came back from 2-0 down after a dismal first-half, Amorim acknowledged his players must play with greater desire and intensity.

"It's hard when we see the game and you know, the players know and we know we have a lack of intensity," said Amorim.

"We improved, not a lot in the second half, but we didn’t lose so much possession without pressure, we were more aggressive, we changed a bit of the energy in the way we play football. So I understand all the criticism.

"Since I arrived, when I took the job, I expected to win all the games at home. The supporters are amazing and you don’t feel it [extra pressure].

"Every time you go to one game at Old Trafford, you feel the support. I don’t feel the pressure and we have to think about the games. It is a new game, it can be a new story."

Amorim said he does not expect any players back from injury tomorrow. "I think it's the same," said the United boss. "They are improving but nobody is recovering for this game."

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