Ruben Amorim admits two months at Man Utd has made him feel 10 years older - The Mirror

Ruben Amorim has only been in charge of Manchester United since mid-November but the strain of working under the Old Trafford spotlight has already impacted him

The Manchester United job has rapidly taken its toll on Ruben Amorim, who's joked that he already feels 10 years older.

Amorim celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday and got an early present by guiding United to an important 1-0 victory away to Fulham. The Red Devils are still 12th in the Premier League table but it's now four wins out of five in all competitions after a dismal end to 2024.

Sunday's match was only his 17th game at the helm but mixed results and behind-the-scenes issues have made it a long two months for the ex-Sporting Lisbon boss. Amorim, who initially wanted to wait until the end of this season to take the United job, made clear how worn down he feels during an interview with Match of the Day 2.

"It's not 40...I'm 50! After two months at Manchester United, it's 50," the Portuguese joked after beating Fulham. "It's a privilege to spend my 40th birthday here.

"[The players] asked for the day off tomorrow. I didn't give it, so we are training because it's my birthday and my gift is to work with the guys who didn't play. It will be fantastic because we won. Then I will have dinner with my kids."

Amorim has previously revealed that he sees a therapist to help deal with the stresses of elite football. "I'm not ashamed to say I had a therapist, a psychologist," he said in November. "I think it helps a lot because I was preparing for the end of my career and I want to change different things to prepare for my career as a coach."

His side came away from Craven Cottage with all three points to a late deflected goal from Lisandro Martinez, but it was United's defensive efforts which pleased Amorim the most. "It's really important because clearly you are closer to winning games and it gives you confidence," he added.

Is Ruben Amorim the right man for Manchester United? Have your say in the comments section.

"We didn't suffer too much today and that is a good sign, not just the clean sheet but it's the way we were different. Like I said, we need to improve a lot with the ball. Without the ball we were okay, we controlled the game and we scored. Now we move on to the next game."

United are back in action on Thursday, travelling to Romania to face FCSB - formerly known as Steaua Bucharest - in the Europa League. The Red Devils then welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford on Sunday, hoping to make it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season.

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.