'Did a good job' - Ruben Amorim hints at Manchester United template for Man City clash

Ruben Amorim wants his Manchester United players to repeat their first-half performance at Arsenal for 90 minutes at the Etihad on Sunday as he targets victory in his first derby.

The head coach faces Manchester City in his seventh game in charge, having picked up three wins, a draw and two defeats. Those defeats have come in successive Premier League fixtures, and United head to the Etihad still 13th in the table.

City are on a dire run of their own, with just one win in 10 games, and it makes it a difficult game to call on Sunday. Amorim is aware of the significance of the fixture but is still focused on seeing incremental improvements from his team, who returned to winning ways on Thursday when they came from behind to beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Czech Republic

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The 39-year-old was pleased with his team's performance in the first 45 minutes at the Emirates, when they nullified Arsenal, only to fall to a 2-0 defeat thanks to two goals from corners after the break.

“I am always looking forward to coaching Manchester United, especially in the derby, but we have so much to focus (on),” head coach Amorim told MUTV

“We are focused on to improve day by day, and we want to see different things. I think we did a good job in the first half against Arsenal (in an eventual 2-0 loss), so we have that ability, we have players to do it, and we will try to do it again and try to win the game.”

Amorim's start at Old Trafford has been inconsistent. The defeat at Arsenal was followed by a 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, and they made