Ruben Amorim has stated that Manchester United's decision to stand in solidarity with Noussair Mazraoui by collectively opting not to wear rainbow-themed jackets to support the LGBTQ+ community should be respected. The players were initially scheduled to walk onto the pitch in these garments before their match against Everton on Sunday, but Mazraoui declined due to his Muslim faith, and his teammates followed his lead, drawing criticism from the Rainbow Devils, the club's LGBTQ+ supporters' group, which expressed that the decision was a 'great disappointment.'

'It was a group decision as players, as it should be,' Amorim explained. 'There are three complex aspects to manage. On one hand, there are club values, which I believe everyone can agree are not problematic. Then there is religion, which must be respected. Our values dictate that we respect differing opinions. The third aspect is the group dynamic. I won't leave Nous alone – we are a team. The majority of the players may believe in one thing, but they saw one teammate standing alone and decided: 'Let's stand together.' It's a challenging issue to address, but I think we handled it well. This club represents... we need to respect everything, but we also respect Nous's religion and culture.'

Amorim experienced his first defeat on Wednesday at Arsenal and is now focused on securing three consecutive wins at Old Trafford against Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. Forest currently sits three points and six places above United, who begin the weekend in 13th place, highlighting the work Amorim has ahead of him.

'We are a massive club, but we are not a massive team, and we acknowledge that, so it's no issue to admit it,' Amorim said. 'We aim to improve – we are in a different phase compared to Arsenal. But you could sense it during the game. I think we need to believe more. We weren't dominant in the game, but we maintained control. Arsenal didn't create many chances, though they did have a lot of set pieces, but we were fine, particularly in the first half.

'You could feel that there's still much to do. We need to enhance our performance in the final third – they posed more danger. I felt Arsenal struggled to block our buildup, but when it came to defending the goal, it was quite comfortable for them, so we are learning and striving to improve.'

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