Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has expressed his confidence in the team's progress ahead of their Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Amorim said: "We are more confident. We manage better the moments of the game. But if you remember that game, they had that shot on the goal and won the game. I expect a different game. We can play better, but also have a little bit of luck to win."
The Red Devils will be facing Tottenham for the first time since their defeat in the Europa League final in Bilbao. United head into the match undefeated in their last four games, having won three of them. Amorim was optimistic about United's chances of winning at his pre-match press conference, especially given the team's impressive run of results in October.
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Only four players who started against Tottenham at the San Mames Stadium - Luke Shaw, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Amad - are practically guaranteed starters this weekend.
When discussing why United have improved since the final, Amorim mentioned "confidence" but also highlighted the importance of the summer signings.
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Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, both of whom arrived with Premier League experience, have been instrumental in transforming the team's performance this season.
Amorim made further bold choices at both ends of the pitch which have proved equally crucial, offloading Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana to Italy and Turkey respectively. The choice to ditch Hojlund was somewhat brutal.
He was keen to remain and battle for his position - and would have gained from featuring as the reserve striker this campaign - but Amorim had witnessed sufficient evidence. Hojlund failed to find the net frequently enough last term and suffered the consequences.
United appeared blunt with Hojlund leading the line in the Europa League final and acquiring a new striker was essential.
Benjamin Sesko arrived with a comparable background to Hojlund, considering his youth and absence of Premier League experience, and he appears to be steadily settling in Manchester following a sluggish beginning at the club.
Gary Neville claimed Sesko was "miles off it" following the Nottingham Forest stalemate. Neville has received criticism for his remarks, but Sesko would acknowledge he would prefer to have more than two strikes to his credit at this stage of the campaign.
Sesko possesses enormous promise and can develop into a 20-goal-per-season striker. The choice to recruit him from RB Leipzig should prove worthwhile ultimately, though United supporters may need to exercise patience.
That is precisely why Senne Lammens' displays have been so remarkable. Every young overseas player requires time to adjust to the Premier League, but Lammens has managed a flawless transition. Amorim held back Lammens' debut until a match against Sunderland last month, and the chants of "are you Schmeichel in disguise?" were testament to his performance that day.
Despite being just 23 and playing in one of the most scrutinised positions at one of the country's most closely watched clubs, Lammens exudes confidence and assurance. His laid-back, intelligent demeanour is evident when he speaks, explaining his significant impact on the team.
"I think you just try to be like yourself, don't really overthink it, it's just a game, to be honest, at the end of the day," Lammens commented after the Liverpool victory, which he celebrated with a close friend over dinner.
After only four appearances, the Belgian has been hailed as a significant improvement on Onana, who was prone to errors and caused his teammates to doubt themselves.
Amorim's decisions to revamp both ends of the team appear to be paying off, with the Lammens decision already proving fruitful, while Sesko remains a work in progress.
However, this doesn't mean there isn't room for Lammens to improve or that Sesko hasn't been a good signing. Lammens will inevitably make mistakes, and while Sesko has shown promise, he needs to add more goals to his tally.
United splashed out £215million in the summer transfer window (excluding add-ons), and the recruitment appears to have been successful. It's not often United have been able to say that about their transfer windows over the past decade.