Ruben Amorim made a request when he first arrived that Manchester United players are now buying into.
Less than two weeks ago, the conversation around Ruben Amorim was about when he was going to be sacked as Manchester United head coach.
However, Saturday’s 4-2 win over Brighton means that the Red Devils have now won three in a row in the Premier League and have climbed to fourth in the table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 16 |
| 4 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 16 |
| 5 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 15 |
Bryan Mbeumo scored twice while Matheus Cunha scored his first goal in United colours, but it wasn’t their attacking output that delighted Amorim.
Instead, Amorim praised United’s defensive work rate and pointed out the spirit his side showed at Old Trafford.
Man United are outrunning teams under Ruben Amorim
When he was first appointed at United, Amorim demanded his players track back more after identifying that as a weakness under Erik ten Hag.
Specifically, Amorim said United must ‘run like mad dogs’ if they wanted to get out of their slump and return to the top of English football.
“If you want to win the Premier League, you have to run like mad dogs. If not, we are not going to do it, that is clear,” Amorim said in December 2024.
Last week, United outran Liverpool at Anfield, and according to BBC Sport the Red Devils covered more distance than Brighton in the latest victory.
United covered 113.09 kilometres compared to Brighton’s 111.28 kilometres. It means that United have outrun their opponents in all three of their last league matches, having also outworked Sunderland in the 2-0 victory.
Premier League focus is giving Man Utd an advantage
The disastrous 2024/25 campaign was capped off with a nightmare Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, but it might end up being a blessing in disguise for United.
With no European distractions this season, United have a full week to prepare for league matches, and Amorim’s extra time at Carrington is paying off.
After the Brighton win, Amorim told MUTV: “Every team that plays in this league, and has to play in Europe, it’s so much harder.
“And we felt that last year. So, I said that last year, I will say the same thing, [it] is a big advantage to have just one game per week, and we have to take advantage of that.”
The squad is fully behind Amorim, and they are making sure to execute Amorim’s gameplan and outwork opponents on a weekly basis.
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