Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has blamed his emotions for his post-match comments after the Grimsby defeat which provoked questions about his future, saying “sometimes I want to quit”.
In the immediate aftermath of the EFL Cup defeat by the League Two side on Wednesday, the Portuguese said his team “were completely lost” and that “something has to change”.
He opted not to clarify his comments, which even inside Old Trafford have been interpreted by some as the 40-year-old considering his future.
But speaking on Friday, he said: “To be really honest, every time that we have a defeat like that in the future I’m going to be like that. I’m going to say sometimes I hate my players and sometimes I love my players.”
He added: “Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years.
“I need to improve on that, it’s going to be hard but now I’m focused on the next game.”
United lost 1-0 to Arsenal and then drew 1-1 with Fulham in the Premier League, and host Burnley on Saturday at 15:00 BST.
“I felt we had a very good pre-season, we were playing better, we were being consistent in the way we played,” Amorim added.
“We played badly for 30 minutes against Fulham and that kind of performance [against Grimsby] I was really disappointed with everything, but now it’s a new game and we focus on that.”