Amorim Addresses Manchester United’s Draw Against Wolves

Ruben Amorim stated there were “no excuses” for Manchester United’s inability to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers, as the Premier League’s bottom team managed to secure a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Wolves obtained only their third point of the season against United and their first since Rob Edwards took over as manager on November 12.

Despite a long list of injuries, including captain Bruno Fernandes, Amorim insisted that his team should have triumphed over a Wolves side that has not won a league match since April. “We didn’t use that excuse against Newcastle, and we are not going to use it today. However, observing the game, I understand why we played the way we did, with a lack of fluidity and one-on-one situations,” Amorim remarked. “We anticipated a completely different challenge compared to Newcastle since, in that match, we had more space to operate.”

Amorim is also missing several players, including Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, Noussair Mazraoui, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire.

He had a similar squad available against Wolves as in the 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Boxing Day but opted to revert to his usual 3-4-3 formation after employing a back four in the previous match. “We were aware that Wolves would adopt a five-man defense and utilize width. Today’s strategy was to adjust accordingly, sometimes building up with Patrick Dorgu open or aligning with Luke Shaw doing the opposite,” Amorim explained.

“We are currently facing a situation with numerous players sidelined simultaneously. When you have Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte in midfield, it’s a different scenario compared to having Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, or Bruno. This is normal. We just need to recover our players and await those returning from AFCON, as that will significantly improve our fluidity.”

Manchester United’s next match is an away fixture against Leeds on January 4, marking their first game of 2026.