'I didn't question him as a person!' - Sean Dyche clarifies quotes about Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim as Nottingham Forest manager blames 'clickbait'

Amorim’s men have hit their stride as they chase a fourth-straight win, while Forest are desperate to find their first Premier League victory since the opening day. For Dyche, who only arrived in the East Midlands earlier this month, it is a crucial early test. He’s overseen two games so far - a comfortable Europa League win over Porto and a 2-0 league defeat to Bournemouth. Now, the City Ground faithful are ready to see their new boss in action at home in a domestic encounter. But the headlines in the buildup have been dominated not by tactics or team news, but by quotes Dyche made months ago. The controversy stems from his appearance on the Stick to Football Podcast back in May, when he spoke candidly about United’s setup under Amorim.

"He’s not going to change the way he plays. He [Amorim] better win some games – pretty quick," Dyche said at the time. "I reckon if I went there and played my way, we’d win more games. Just 4-4-2 – give them basic rules of principles. We’re all going, 'Fair play' – but, he’s been there a while now so you better start bringing some wins soon."

Before Saturday's encounter, far from animosity, Dyche’s tone was one of mutual respect. He went out of his way to praise Amorim and insisted that the media took his quotes out of context to attract more attention. 

"I didn't question him as a person and I would never do that. Clickbait kills anything," he said. "I equally said I want managers to be given time and I said he should get half a season to continue what he's doing. I have maximum respect for all managers. I'm pretty sure his media department will have made that clear to him."

In fact, Dyche went out of his way to praise Amorim for being flexible enough to tweak his tactics, something he believes separates good managers from great ones.

"The basics may have worked better was my suggestion and they have changed their style so fair play to him," he added. "Not necessarily their beliefs but their style. They are playing quicker forward and longer, a bit tighter in getting back into their shape. That's management, that's coaching. That doesn't mean he's changed his whole philosophy; it's adapting to what's in front of him, so fair play to him. He's shown a bit of flexibility and they're getting results."

If Dyche was hoping to stir up a war of words, Amorim didn’t bite. The United boss remained composed and responded to the resurfaced comments with an air of dignity, showing no signs of taking them personally.

"First of all, maybe it's true if we play 4-4-2," he smiled at his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "We won 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. So we don't know that. Then I can look at Sean Dyche as a manager and then as a pundit.

"If you are a pundit and you don't say very strong things, I don't want to watch you! I'm the same. So I can understand that it's a completely different job. I know that Sean Dyche is really smart and he knows how to play the game. And 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 game."

All eyes will be on the City Ground on Saturday afternoon as Amorim’s men will look to get the better of Dyche’s still-settling Forest, who are still looking to rediscover their rhythm. United currently sit sixth in the Premier League and are chasing a fourth win in a row, a feat they haven’t achieved since February 2024. Forest, meanwhile, find themselves in the relegation zone with just five points from nine games.