Ruben Amorim claimed that he would rather risk being sacked than change his football philosophy after a demoralising Manchester derby defeat.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane warned that Amorim’s players were losing faith in his system after they were beaten 3-0 by neighbours City at the Etihad.
A defiant Amorim admitted that he is ‘suffering’ more than the fans, but doubled down by saying: ‘I am not going to change. When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man.
‘Losing faith in your ability to turn the situation around? No, that is not the way. I believe in my way and I am going to play my way until I want to change.
‘My message (to the fans) is that I am going to give everything, always thinking about what is best for the club. The rest is not my decision. Until I am here, I will do my best. I really want to win games.’
However, Keane wasn’t convinced as he discussed United’s performances since Amorim was handed £236million to improve his squad this summer.
Ruben Amorim once again insisted that he 'won't change' his system after United's derby day defeat
Erling Haaland, who scored a brace, was a thorn in the visitors' defence from minute one
The Red Devils boss has picked up just eight victories during his time at Old Trafford
‘You talk about the system but the manager is sticking to his guns, he is not budging,’ Keane told Sky Sports. ‘My worry is that maybe the players haven't got that much faith in it.
‘As much as the manager is saying “this is where we are going”, as the results don't come and you are getting beaten by the better teams, he is making loads of changes and it is like they are going round in circles.
‘We were told the manager needed a pre-season, his own players and they have spent over £200m, so we keep making excuses. When are we going to see signs?’
United were beaten by Phil Foden’s header and an Erling Haaland double, leaving Amorim with just eight wins from 31 Premier League games as United boss.
‘It is not a record you should have at Manchester United,’ he admitted. ‘It’s hard and the record says everything, I understand. There are a lot of things. you have no idea what happened during these months, but I accept that.
‘We played against one coach that won seven Premier League titles and we are building things, trying to fight against these teams. I am not going to defend myself, it's always the same question, trying to protect myself. We need to do better.’
City boss Pep Guardiola was delighted after seeing his team recover from back-to-back defeats. ‘We have to improve but winning games, especially a derby, the happiness of our fans always is better,’ he said.
‘The body language was unbelievable and the spirit was really good.’
Bruno Fernandes, once again playing as a No 8, struggled on the day
The Red Devils now face a difficult fixture at home to Chelsea next weekend before a trip to Brentford
Guardiola also paid tribute to Manchester boxing legend Ricky Hatton after the devoted City fan tragically passed away over the weekend.
‘There's no words that can explain the pain the family can feel right now for this loss,’ he said. ‘I know how incredible a Man City fan he is.
‘The minute’s applause was unbelievable. I've been 10 years here and I don't remember one so intense like today. I want to say thank you so much to the United fans for the way they behaved and they applauded.’
