Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has dismissed criticism from Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche regarding his tactics at Old Trafford. The exchange comes ahead of Saturday's Premier League match between the two clubs at the City Ground.

Dyche, who was appointed as Nottingham Forest's manager recently, had previously suggested in May that he could achieve better results with the Manchester United squad by implementing a straightforward 4-4-2 formation. These comments, made during a podcast appearance, resurfaced as the two managers prepared to face each other.

Amorim, who is approaching his one-year anniversary as Erik ten Hag's successor at Manchester United, addressed Dyche's remarks with a measured response. "First of all, maybe it's true, if we play 4-4-2 we won more games," Amorim acknowledged. However, he defended his tactical approach, emphasizing that it requires time to fully implement and yield optimal results. "But I always said that I have a way of playing that is going to take a while and then in the future it's going to be better, so we don't know that," he added.

The Manchester United boss also offered his perspective on Dyche's role as a pundit, stating, "If you are a pundit and you don't say very strong things, I don't want to watch you!". Amorim added that he understands that being a pundit is different from coaching a team. "He also understands that one thing is when we are seeing the game and talking about the game. The other thing is to coach a team, so I understand that, I have nothing to say. I just want to win the next one,” Amorim stated.

Amorim's first year at Manchester United has been turbulent. While the team reached the Europa League final, they finished a disappointing 15th in the Premier League. This led to widespread criticism, including Dyche's remarks about Amorim's tactics.

Despite the earlier struggles, Manchester United heads into Saturday's match with Nottingham Forest on a positive note, having secured three consecutive wins. A victory at the City Ground could potentially elevate them to second place in the Premier League standings, depending on other results. Amorim will be looking to silence his critics, including Dyche, with a strong performance and continue the team's momentum.

Notably, the two managers have only faced each other once previously, when Amorim's Manchester United defeated Dyche's Everton 4-0.