Amorim's tells of key area of focus for Man Utd in training ahead of Liverpool clash

Ruben Amorim has finally had the opportunity to spend meaningful time on the training pitch with his Manchester United squad.

Since his arrival at Carrington in November, the Portuguese head coach has rarely had a full week to prepare for a match due to United's relentless schedule.

However, following the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle six days ago—a result that marked the Red Devils’ fourth successive loss—Amorim has had a rare chance to work intensively with his players ahead of a daunting trip to face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.

United head into Sunday’s clash as significant underdogs, but Amorim is optimistic after a productive stretch of training.

He revealed that since his arrival, he had managed only four full training sessions with the entire squad, making this week’s three sessions a welcome change.

“We have to continue to push. Remember, we had like four training sessions all together before this week,” Amorim said after the Newcastle defeat. “This week, we’ve had three full sessions, and they’ve been really good.”

Amorim explained that two of the sessions were dedicated to revisiting the fundamentals of his footballing philosophy, ensuring the team understands the core principles needed to succeed.

The final session, he noted, focused specifically on preparing for Liverpool.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Amorim emphasized the importance of reinforcing these basics: “Every team has their problems, even the best, and we will try to find them—but to be honest, I’m more focused on our basics.

"Rather than trying to exploit gaps in Liverpool’s shape, I’m concentrating on the way we must play to win football matches and stay true to our ideas.

"Without the basics, you can’t execute. So, for two days, we’ve been focusing on our way of playing, and now we’ll spend one session on the opponent.”

The turn of the year offers a crucial opportunity for United, as the fixture schedule is set to ease. January includes seven games, but February will see just four, providing Amorim with much-needed time to embed his philosophy.

Amorim is enduring the toughest spell of his managerial career, but United have no choice but to support him and hope he can reverse the team's fortunes.

A positive result at Anfield could serve as a springboard for a stronger second half of the season in 2025.

At the very least, Amorim will look for signs that his work on the training ground is beginning to translate into improved performances in the weeks ahead.