Ruben Amorim stressed the importance of securing a much-needed Old Trafford win when Manchester United host “top team” Bournemouth on Monday.
The Red Devils entered the weekend sixth in the Premier League standings following their 4-1 triumph at rock-bottom Wolves, meaning they have lost just one of their last nine matches.
That defeat was a shock 1-0 home loss to 10-man Everton and was compounded by a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford with struggling West Ham.
United will attempt to give the home faithful something to cheer about on Monday, when Bournemouth arrive without a win in six games but buoyed by 3-0 victories on their last two visits.
Amorim said of the Cherries: “I think it’s a top team, top manager with a special player.
“I don’t look to the results. I look at the way they face every opponent. They press really strong, they are really direct in the game.
“They can play with different options in front and that gives us a lot of options to work, to prepare the game.
“So I expect, again, a Premier League game that is really tough but we need to win, especially at home, and that is the goal.”
Antoine Semenyo, a player United are keeping tabs on, seems to be the “special player” Amorim singled out.
The 25-year-old has developed impressively under Iraola at Bournemouth, just as summer departures Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi did.
Asked about the work his Bournemouth counterpart has done, United boss Amorim said: “Special. I think the way they play the game like a big team, what he’s doing for some players.
“I think he’s improving some players, and you can look at that team and they have several players that can play in a high level. That is an amazing job by the manager.”
Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remain absent for Bournemouth’s visit, but striker Benjamin Sesko could feature after a foot injury.
There remain doubts over whether Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo can feature before jetting off to the Africa Cup of Nations, but Amorim is hopeful United can cope without them.
Mason Mount is among those the Portuguese is sure to lean on, especially after putting in a man-of-the-match display at Molineux on Monday.
“He’s a very, very smart player,” Amorim said.
“He’s really technical because sometimes to be a technical player is not just having fun with the ball – it’s the quality of the pass, the reception, how to receive the ball. In these things he’s really smart.
“He can balance our team quite well so he’s a very good player.”
