Amorim admits 'too many mistakes' as Keane says why he is 'frustrated'

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim conceded that his side once again fell short of expectations following their 4–1 defeat at Newcastle, admitting the performance was riddled with errors.

“There were many mistakes,” Amorim told Sky Sports after the match. “They were stronger on second balls, they were the better team, but we made too many mistakes. That makes it really hard to win a game, especially against top opposition.”

Pressed on what went wrong, Amorim suggested the issues were wide-ranging rather than isolated: “It’s a little bit of everything—it’s hard to point to just one thing. When you help the opponent score with your own mistakes, winning becomes almost impossible.”

Despite the growing pressure, the United boss shrugged off the external criticism: “I understand it, but I don’t care,” he said. “Losing games is the hardest part of this job. People can say what they want—our league position says it all. I don’t need to defend myself. What matters now is Thursday. That’s our focus.”

Thursday marks the crucial second leg of United’s Europa League quarter-final against Lyon, and Amorim made it clear that the European tie is now the priority.

Roy Keane, speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports, had little sympathy. While acknowledging Amorim’s newness to the league, he questioned the quality and resilience of the squad.

“Sometimes it’s about how you lose,” Keane said. “The only defence for the players is that some are still adjusting to the Premier League—and the manager is, too.”

“But I’m sure Amorim is scratching his head. He probably can’t believe how poor this group of players is. He’s frustrated, understandably, and he wants to move on—but when he reflects on this game, I bet he’s thinking: ‘This is tougher than I thought.’”

Keane didn’t hold back in his assessment of the team’s flaws: “There’s no power, no presence, and too many basic mistakes. Some of these players might be decent—but are they good enough for Manchester United? Absolutely not. And that’s on the club, not just the players.”