Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been involved in the 67th anniversary of the Munich air disaster with Ferguson and admitted that he and his players are fighting to keep their jobs between now and the end of the season. Although he insisted that the club was supportive, he was still at risk of being fired if his grades were too poor.

"Like we said before, we had to fight until the summer to keep our jobs. So, I'm just focused on those games." Amorim also said that it was a risk not to bring in a new striker in the winter window, "I analysed the situation in the team and I knew that it would be dangerous for the coach not to sign a new striker in the middle of the season. But from day one, for better or worse, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and took those risks."

Amorim added: "I know exactly what I want to do and I'm willing to take those risks because I think there will be rewards in the end. But I'm not naïve, I've said many times that it's a results-oriented sport and we're in a difficult situation."

United have lost five of their last six Premier League home games and Amorim has warned that this is unlikely to change anytime soon. 'I think it's very difficult for Manchester United to turn things around in just a few games, until the end of the season, very tough. Then we just have to take the risk that you mentioned, because we want the team to be different, to have a different image, and that's my field, so it's my decision."

The 40-year-old Portuguese marshal emphasised that he has the support of senior officials such as Sir Jim Ratcliffe: "If you ask this question, I can feel the support of the board. I'm not worried at all. The pain of losing is the hardest thing to bear. If you ask that question, I feel the support of the board. I'm not worried at all. It's just the pain of losing that is the hardest to bear."

He elaborated: "I explained all the risks to the board and they said the same thing: 'We need to start now.'" We're doing that, everybody has to make a decision, not today it's just the coach who decides one thing and then changes everything. We're trying to find players who fit the Premier League, who are physical, who are young, who are hungry to win. But sometimes we can't spend too much. I feel like the club is progressing and we know the urgency of the team, but everyone doesn't want to make the mistakes of the past.'

On United's plans for the summer window, Amorim said: "We'll look at it in the summer, but like I said, we're very cautious about transfers because we've made some mistakes in the past. Now, we're taking risks, but that's how we want to move on. I understand that at this moment, we have lost too much, especially in the Premier League, and the environment is really tough. Of course you will encounter difficult moments, difficulty falling asleep and so on. One of the good things I've learned at this moment is that for better or worse, my thoughts are clear and I will make the same decision without any qualms. Even if you win on a winning streak, you doubt yourself. It's a good thing, I always doubt myself, I doubt everything. This was the case even though I won all the matches in Portugal. On the other hand, I know that Manchester United's task now is to survive because if you don't win, you have problems."

Manchester United will once again host Leicester City at Old Trafford on Friday night for the FA Cup fourth round. The Red Devils beat the Foxes twice in the Premier League and Carabao Cup, but it was Ruud van Nistelrooy who was now Leicester City manager at the time.

Amorim brought his team with him when he took over, with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who only took up as Manchester United assistant manager last summer, having to leave. When asked why the Red Devils legend was not retained, Amorim believes it was the right choice. However, the new Red Devils boss also admitted that his record (eight defeats in 19 games) was not as good as Ruud van Nistelrooy's four games, three wins and one draw, which took a toll on his pride.

"It's not complicated, I know very well, I explained it to Luther [Vanney]y." Amorim said, "He's been a player and a coach and understands the situation. I have my own team and am more familiar with working with them. I can keep Luther, it might be good for me, it might be popular, but I can't give him a status higher than my coaching staff. That means Luther is going to stay and do the lowest job, which I don't think is fair to him, and to show my respect for him, I made it very clear that I don't want to put him at the end of the coaching staff. He was gracious and accepted what I had to say."

Speaking about his poor record as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ten Hag, Amorim said: "They are better than me in terms of training the team, I have a lot of self-esteem, so I'm a little injured but it's not embarrassing, Ruud van Nistelrooy knows United and has been working with the players for a few months. And I have to make some really tough decisions that sometimes cause problems and friction in the dressing room. I'm trying to help the players see the game the way I want to improve their performance and results."

But Amorim has a good chance of leading United to a win over Leicester City, and Ruud van Nistelrooy has already indicated that he will use Academy players, with 15-year-old Jeremy Monga and 16-year-old Jake Evans on the bench, saying: "This is an opportunity to create opportunities for young players."