Ruben Amorim, the Manchester United head coach, has reflected on his first year at the helm, describing it as a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience. Appointed on November 1, 2024, as Erik ten Hag's successor, Amorim officially began his tenure ten days later. He signed a contract running until 2027.

In his first 52 games, the Portuguese manager has secured 21 wins and faced 19 defeats, achieving a 40% victory rate. Despite the mixed results, Amorim remains resolute in his vision for the team. "It was a journey, a big journey," he stated, acknowledging the "tough, really tough, good moments and bad moments".

Amorim emphasized the importance of staying true to his beliefs, even during difficult times. "I learned a lot that is really important. I found out that even in my lower moments I can stick with the things I believe and that is a good thing for anyone to understand," he said. He also expressed his desire to remain at Manchester United for the long term, stating, "One of the biggest honors of my life [is] to be here and I want to continue here for many years".

Manchester United's recent form has been encouraging, with the team winning their last three Premier League matches against Sunderland, Liverpool, and Brighton. These victories have propelled them to sixth in the league table. Amorim has been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award for October, recognizing the team's perfect record during the month.

Looking ahead, Manchester United is set to face Nottingham Forest, managed by Sean Dyche. Amorim has been studying Dyche's tactics, including their previous encounter when Amorim secured his first Premier League win against Dyche's Everton side in December. He has also reviewed pre-season footage from his time at Sporting to gain an edge.

Amorim addressed comments made by Dyche in August, where Dyche claimed he could win more games with United's squad playing a 4-4-2 formation. Amorim responded, "Maybe it's true that if we play 4-4-2 we win more games. But I always said that I have a way of playing that is going to take a while, but in the future it's going to be better".

In terms of team news, Lisandro Martínez has returned to training after recovering from a knee injury sustained in February. However, Amorim confirmed that Martínez would not be available for the Nottingham Forest game, stating, "He wants to go to this one – he's not going to this one! It's going to take time, he has started training with us but we had to change some things in the exercise for him so slowly he is going to get better". He is unsure about Harry Maguire's availability.

Before joining Manchester United, Amorim had a successful stint at Sporting CP, where he won two Primeira Liga titles, including the club's first title in 19 years. He also won three League Cups and one Super Cup with Sporting CP. His achievements earned him the Primeira Liga's Manager of the Year award twice. Overall, Amorim has a win percentage of 66.15% across his managerial career.