'We cannot cry about it' - Ruben Amorim addresses Man Utd's set-piece woes as he insists Red Devils don't need 'bigger players'

United have conceded nine goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season, most recently in a 2-0 loss against Wolves in the Premier League. Now, head coach Amorim has addressed their shortcomings in that area, saying they "cannot cry" about the antics that go on in the box and conceding in that way. While they do have 5'9 Lisandro Martinez in their defence, 6'4 Harry Maguire and 6'3 Leny Yoro are there alongside him.

The Portuguese told reporters: "You can see that every corner nowadays is an opportunity. Sometimes you forget the small guys and the talented guys and you put 11 guys on corners or to free-kicks. If you can do everything inside the box. But that is the rules and we cannot cry about it. We have to do the same thing and we have to focus on doing the same thing to the opponent. So that is my goal at the moment."

When asked if he needed some bigger players, he replied: "No. What I am saying is if set-pieces is becoming so important, you can do everything. We have to learn it and we have to do the same thing even with the small guys. We just have to copy and do the same thing without trying to change the rules. We have to use the rules to score also the [same] goals at set-pieces."

There was a good deal of optimism when Amorim replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag last month but less than six weeks into his tenure, the 39-year-old has already been talking about the possibility of being dismissed by United. Another loss on Monday will heap more misery on the 14th-placed Red Devils to round off 2024 and if they concede from a set piece again, more questions will be asked of the ex-Sporting CP boss' players and his coaching methods.

Amorim's United will hope to end 2024 on a high when they host in-form Newcastle United on Monday at Old Trafford in the Premier League.