Ruben Amorim has urged his Manchester United players to make their “effort” clear to fans, with that a clear focus in the early weeks of his reign.
The 39-year-old took charge at United last month after Erik ten Hag was dismissed and was unbeaten in his first three matches in the dugout.
However, that run came to an end on Wednesday night when United were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal in north London, a result that leaves them 13th in the Premier League table but only four points off fifth.
Amorim has implemented a new system, favouring a 3-4-2-1 formation, but he believes the priority for now is not his team’s shape or results, but their commitment on the pitch.
"I think that is a key point for us. In two weeks and four matches, you can understand that they just want to see effort,” Amorim said of the United fans.
“In the first moment, they just want to see effort. Then they want to win games. After a while, in winning games, they will want to see a very dominant team and then these are the stages we have to follow.
“This one is the easy one, full effort. Full sprint back and full sprint forward. That is a key point for us, so a lot of our focus is on that.
United frustrated Arsenal in the first 45 minutes at the Emirates Stadium, but conceded twice from corners after the break and did not ever seriously threaten to get themselves back into the match.
It was a first setback for Amorim and there is a tough run ahead, with fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal in the next month.
Asked what lessons he could take from the defeat to the Gunners, Amorim said: "It's really hard, I learn the same with wins because I focus on the performance.
“We won 4-0 against Everton but I saw so many things that were wrong. I saw the same against Arsenal.
“We need time to think about things. We don't have much time to train and have to prepare for the next opponent, but when I see the team, I think we're improving in some aspects."
