Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones says he wants nothing more than to see Ruben Amorim develop at Old Trafford but is by no means convinced.
Amorim remains under huge pressure at United and is second in the race for sacking, but he has scored just 37 points in 34 Premier League games and faces a difficult task at Anfield with Liverpool returning to action after Sunday’s international break.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe backed Amorim during the international break and said he wanted to see the Portuguese prove himself at Old Trafford for three years, but Jones said he was “not concerned about the length of the contract”.
“Do I want to see managers and coaches lose their jobs? No, especially with the route I want to take now. We need time to get the team together,” he told the Daily Mail. “As you can imagine, I like the fact that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come forward and supported him. But this is a business that demands results. If you don’t get results, I don’t care how long your contract is, whether it’s 10 years, two years, five years, there will be questions and you will be considered.”
Read more: Ranked: 5 Premier League managers most in need of a win this weekend
“The game against Sunderland (a 2-0 win before the international break) was probably the most complete performance we’ve seen from all divisions of United this season. But then we play fierce rivals Liverpool (on Sunday) and if we don’t win there we have Brighton, which is not an easy game in the conditions they’re playing in right now.”
“If you draw with Liverpool and go to beat Brighton at home, you get a bit of momentum and they really get going and can they use that as a catalyst to do something? How many times have I said that in the last six years? Do I want to see Amorim succeed, have a big run at the end of this season and maybe win a trophy? Absolutely. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Jones is currently earning a coaching badge with a view to becoming a manager and believes the physical and mental turmoil he faced during his career will serve him well.
“Of course,” Jones said. “Given the adversity I’ve experienced in my career, I’m sure I’ll have to wear the rhino skin for this match. I think it will be an advantage for me.”
“You can be the best manager in the world in terms of tactics, possession, out of possession, cute set-pieces, and you have to have that, especially at the highest level.
“But if players these days don’t feel like they can relate to you and interact with you…can you talk to them about something other than football? Does it always have to be football? Football, football, football.
“Some coaches and managers can’t put the board away. You have to learn to switch off. That’s a skill. It’s about being able to switch off and go back to your kids and your family and have a life balance.”
More Manchester United coverage on F365
👉 10 Premier League stars shortlisted, justifying Chelsea project on golden boy shortlist
👉 Manchester United willing to pay up to £52m for SPL striker amid interest in Crystal Palace star
👉 Amorim’s future revealed if January transfer request goes through and UAE-based consortium buys Manchester United
“If you just have the tactical side, you might be able to get through the first year, but these days you have to build that kind of relationship with the players because the players see that firsthand, and it doesn’t last.”
“Be human. Players need to feel warm. You want to take them on a journey when you explain the missed opportunities, the positions they should have taken on the field and the rotations that didn’t work out.”
“Take them on a why journey instead of just saying, ‘You should have been here.’ ‘I did the same thing in this game,’ or ‘It was great that you did that in the 60th minute, but what about that? Do you think you could have done a little more?’ Don’t just throw them under the bus because you lost a game.
“It’s too easy these days for managers to say, ‘He’s not good enough.’ Why isn’t he good enough? It’s your job to make them good enough. That’s why you’re called in to get the best out of them. You’re called in to get the best out of them.”
“I don’t buy it when you come in and say, ‘He’s not for me.’ It might be six months or a year later. I get that, but when you walk in the door and say, ‘He’s not for me, he’s not good enough, he can’t play on my team,’ that’s not the case. It’s your job to get him to that level.”
