'Came here to be manager, not the coach': Under-pressure United boss' bizarre swipe at club legend

Ruben Amorim bristled at questions about his job security on Monday, delivering a defiant message that he came to Manchester United as a manager with full authority and not merely a coach taking orders.

Amorim had looked downbeat on Saturday when discussing potential transfers and the Portuguese coach grew visibly irritated when pressed about whether he still had the board's confidence.

The 40-year-old cut off reporters with a sharp rebuke about "selective information" before launching into an emphatic defence of his position.

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"I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United, and that is clear," a visibly frustrated Amorim said after the 1-1 draw at Leeds United.

"I know that my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, it's not (Antonio) Conte, it's not (Jose) Mourinho, but I'm the manager of Manchester United.

"It's going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change."

Amorim made clear he has no intention of walking away from Old Trafford, repeatedly emphasising his managerial authority over simply coaching duties.

"So that was my point. I want to finish with that. I'm not going to quit," he added.

"I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me."

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When pressed further about assurances regarding his ability to manage the team, Amorim doubled down on his stance.

"I just want to say that I'm going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. And I was really clear on that," he said.

"And that is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job, not to be a coach."

Amorim then took aim at external criticism, suggesting the club needed to change if it could not handle commentary from television pundits like former United player Gary Neville.

"If people cannot handle Gary Neville and the criticism of everything, we need to change the club," he said, before reiterating his core message.

"I just want to say that I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach. And every department - the scouting department, the sports director - needs to do their job.

"I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on."

Neville had not heard Amorim's full press conference when he sat to record his podcast after the match.

"Something has happened there in the last week ... Ruben Amorim is now starting to unleash a little bit," he said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

"It looks to me that he is not happy with something happening in the hierarchy.

"He has mentioned my name in there apparently. That is something managers tend to do towards difficult periods, they tend to have a go at pundits. I have no problem with that.

"I've actually been quite supportive of Manchester United in the last few weeks, but I couldn't be supportive after the game against Wolves if that was what he's referring to.

"I am going to call out when I see things that are not right, that is my job. But that aside, I think the bigger problem isn't what he said about me, the bigger problem is what he is insinuating is happening behind the scenes."

Neville then pointed to the active transfer window and noted United will likely be unable to get any players to join their team due to their ongoing financial troubles.

"Maybe around the transfer window - I must admit, I was surprised Manchester United spent that type of money in the summer," he continued .

"When they got knocked out of the Europa League, everyone knew their financial situation. They haven't got any money.

"After 10 to 12 years of mismanagement, of really shocking recruitment, wastage, lack of investment in the stadium, all of these things mean Manchester United are currently tight on cash. They are one of the biggest football clubs in the world.

"They spent all that money on three players in the summer, and everyone was like, 'where did that money come from all of a sudden?' It was a massive investment.

"I'm not surprised that there isn't any money for January, but Ruben obviously wants players. He needs another wing-back and a central midfield player.

"Maybe he has been told in the last week that he isn't getting any new players, I don't know. But when these press conferences of this (nature) start, it's never usually good."