Amorim encourages Manchester United to look ahead after Ronaldo critique

Ruben Amorim has advised Manchester United to "concentrate on the future" after Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Old Trafford favourite, delivered a harsh evaluation of his previous team.

Manchester United seek to reconstruct after a disappointing 2024/25 campaign, where they ended in 15th position in the Premier League and fell to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.

Ronaldo stated this week that United manager Amorim cannot achieve "miracles" at a club "not on a good path", adding "they need to change and it's not only about the coach and players".

However, when presented with Ronaldo's remarks before this weekend's visit to Spurs, the United head coach, a former Portugal colleague, responded: "Of course he knows and he has a huge impact in everything he said.

"What we need to focus (on) is in the future. We know that we as a club made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. So, let's not focus on what happened. Let's focus on what we are doing now, and we are doing that."

Amorim indicated that the ongoing adjustments are yielding positive outcomes.

"We are altering many aspects of the structure, the methods we employ, and the conduct we expect from players," the 40-year-old manager explained.

"We are implementing these changes and seeing progress, so let's concentrate on our current approach. We are advancing, so let's persist and set aside the past somewhat."

Manchester United have dropped their previous four encounters with Spurs.

Yet, they enter Saturday's fixture without a loss in their most recent four Premier League outings, including a 2-1 victory against title holders and bitter rivals Liverpool.

Amorim, questioned on how United have evolved since their Europa League final defeat to Spurs in May, answered: "Firstly, the attributes of the players. We form a stronger side, we perform better, we grasp the game more effectively. I believe we possess greater assurance.

"We arrived at that final assured of victory potential due to our strong European form, but now we compete with enhanced confidence.

"We handle the game's phases more adeptly. But recalling that match, they had that goal-bound effort, which secured their win.

"Thus, I anticipate a distinct contest, where we can excel more, yet also require some fortune to secure the triumph."