Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim admits that the job Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal is an inspiration for him, though that came with a slight dig at the Gunners as well.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s big game as Man Utd prepare to host Arsenal at Old Trafford, Amorim made it clear that these are very different clubs.
Amorim stressed that although Arteta has done great work to turn things around at Arsenal, he won’t get as much time to do that at United.
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“I will not have the time that Arteta had, I feel that – it’s a different club,” Amorim said.
“I think in that aspect, the way that Arteta dealt with that is an inspiration for everybody, but I will not have the time like Arteta had.”
While the former Sporting Lisbon boss did not make this explicitly clear, he seems to be quite strongly suggesting that there is a big gap in terms of the ambition of these two teams, and the pressure that comes with managing them.
Ruben Amorim is feeling the pressure at Manchester United
We know that United remain one of the most talked about clubs in world football, even if it’s been a bit of a lean period for them since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
The club’s fans have high expectations after such a glorious period under Ferguson, and they continue to be able to sign some of the world’s best players for big money.
Amorim hasn’t been at MUFC for that long, but he’s clearly already seen what a big club it is, and what a high-pressure job he’s in.
While Arsenal are also a big name in English football and beyond, it’s not quite the same, and Arteta was perhaps always likely to have a bit more patience as he slowly rebuilt the team.
Some AFC fans might not take too kindly to Amorim’s comments, however, and it will be interesting to see what kind of an atmosphere that creates this weekend.
