Chris Armas, who was Ralf Rangnick’s assistant during his Manchester United interim tenure, has claimed he was an "easy target" for criticism during his time at the club.
The American was brought in by Rangnick in December 2021 before leaving upon the German’s departure last summer. He eventually linked up with Jesse Marsch at Leeds 12 days before his sacking and ended up exiting a few weeks later.
The 50-year-old says he was “an easy target” for criticism at United when results weren't going their way.
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The former USMNT international told The Athletic: “When I initially got there, it wasn’t like, ‘oh, the American is here.’ It didn’t feel like that. You talk to players and Cristiano (Ronaldo) is like, ‘oh, you’re from the Bronx’. They read a little bit about you, they know a few things here and there.
“But I would say at some point, when things were getting tougher for the club in terms of results, yeah, I think I was an easy target. Things came out publicly, the training sessions, what have you, that frankly were just not true.”
Armas said he “realised quickly” that the big names within the team were “regular guys” and was pleased with his relationship with Darren Fletcher, who is now the club’s technical director.
He said: “I think over time, you earn respect, or maybe you don’t, but I think I earned respect around there from the Darren Fletchers, the people at the organisation and, for me, most importantly, the players.
“It was a learning experience, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was a difficult time for United but I learned a lot and grew a lot on that job.”
Regarding his brief stint at Leeds, which saw him face United twice in four days in February, Armas explained: “It was amazing to get back there with Leeds to play against Man U.
"When a dozen players, staff, they’re waiting for me after the game in the tunnel to say hello — Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, a bunch of guys, Victor (Lindelof), big hugs all round.
“And again, that means more to me than anything else because you realise your time there was, yes, it’s about wins and losses, for sure, it’s about growing, but it’s about the connections, always.”
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