Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim expressed his satisfaction with the current defensive options at the club. He rejected the idea that the team needs to spend more money on improving their defense after their thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth. The match saw the Red Devils surrender the lead three times, but they managed to secure a point thanks to some late saves from goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
In the first half, Manchester United dominated the game, but Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo equalized in the 40th minute after Amad Diallo's earlier header. Casemiro restored United's lead, but Bournemouth fought back with a goal from Evanilson and Marcus Tavernier within six minutes. However, two quickfire goals from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha turned the game in United's favor, and they seemed to be on their way to another win. But Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi had other plans, scoring the equalizer in the 84th minute.
This result means that United have only managed one clean sheet in their 16 Premier League games this season, which dates back to October when they beat Sunderland 2-0. This is a worrying statistic, with only six clean sheets in 43 Premier League matches since Amorim took over as manager. Jamie Carragher, who was analyzing the game on Sky Sports, described this record as "awful" and pointed out that it was a big problem for the team.
Amorim, however, refused to blame the lack of clean sheets on the lack of investment in the defense during the summer transfer window. He believes that the team has talented and quality players at the back, and the focus should be on improving as a team defensively. He also pointed out that the team has been working on improving their attacking play, and now they need to do the same for their defending.
The Portuguese manager acknowledged that there is no quick fix for the team's defensive frailties, but he promised to address the issues before their next game against Aston Villa. He believes that they are pressing better and controlling the game, but they need to improve their defending in the box and be more clinical in front of goal.
Amorim was reminded of their game against Nottingham Forest, where they also threw away an early lead to draw 2-2. He felt that they should have scored more goals in the first half and secured a different result. Nevertheless, he described the game against Bournemouth as entertaining for the fans, but also frustrating to concede four goals and not win the game.
The manager also mentioned that they will be without four key players for their next game due to international duty and a suspension. He sees this as an opportunity for the rest of the squad to step up and show their quality. He also assured the fans that they will continue to fight and look for different ways to create chances and score goals.
As the team prepares for the busy winter period, Amorim expressed his confidence that they will be able to handle the challenges and continue to compete for victories. He acknowledged that injuries and international absences are part of the game, but they will rise to the challenge and do their best to win every game.
