Ruben Amorim says Manchester United must 'start over' after struggling in defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said his team have to "start over" after they lost 1-0 to Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.

United struggled once again, in part due to a 12-man injury list that saw their subs bench stacked with young players in the absence of senior members of the squad.

Amorim did not call any of them up despite trailing after James Maddison’s 13th-minute winner.

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Speaking to the BBC after the win, the Portuguese hoped to get his missing players back to rebuild over the course of the remainder of the season. Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo are likely out for the rest of the season, while Luke Shaw has a long-term fitness problem.

He said: "It was the difference of the game, they scored and we didn't. We had the opportunities. We had situations in transitions, trying to get a result, but in the end they scored and we didn't.

"We want to recover the players. I think we can recover some players for the next game. We have to be together to finish the season and start over."

Amorim said that he did not use any of the youngsters on the bench because he did not want to risk their development, and thought his starting 11 did not need to be disrupted.

He explained: "It is the hardest competition in the world. I am trying to be careful with them. I felt the team was pushing for the goal and I felt I didn't want to change. But they will play.

"You try to read the game, understand what you see in training. The team were pushing for the goal and I didn't feel the need to change.

"I am not worried. I understand our fans, what the media think about it. I hate to lose, that feeling is the worst.

"The rest I am not thinking about. I am here to help my players. I understand my situation, my job, I am confident in my work and I just want to win games.

"The place in the table is my worry. I am not worried about me."

Amorim on Postecoglou comparision: 'I'm in a bigger club with a bigger pressure'

Video credit: Eurosport

Postecoglou eyes ‘massive opportunity’

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was eyeing a serious improvement from his team as the last third of the season approaches, with their own injury problems to deal with.

He said to Sky Sports: "Our training was better, and I was confident that we would put in a good shift. The focus is still on trying to win games. In the background, we are doing it our own way. We are looking into ways we can do things better, but we are not going to be the only ones.

"There will be a few that come to my world in the next period and people will see it's not just a reflection of people involved, but the circumstances you have been dealt with.

"We have had a few players who have not got injured at all.

"We feel, and I certainly feel, there's a massive opportunity in the back half of the year."

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