Even after nearly six months on the job, Ruben Amorim is still learning just how big the job of “fixing” Manchester United will truly be, with the point driven home once again by a 1-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED – Highlights, recap & analysis

Man United fans will be longing for the recently concluded international break, and perhaps Amorim will join them, after another listless performance that gave them little chance of picking up three points. With just eight Premier League games left to play, the Red Devils are eight points off the top half of the table and exactly half of their 10 wins have come against the three sides all but mathematically destined for relegation.

“I think we controlled the game, but we already knew that this team can score goals out of nothing. Then when they score, it changes the game a little bit for what they want. We tried sometimes with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last cross, the last assist — it wasn’t there. When we don’t have that, we can’t score goals. But this season is like that. … We need to be better in the last third, we cannot concede in transition off of set pieces.”

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What disappointed you most about the goal they scored? “Everything, because you know the characteristics of the other team. You know that one goal can put them in a situation that they love with more space for transitions and we have to score two goals to win a match. That is frustrating because it is in the beginning of the game.”

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“I see [progress] in the game. I don’t lie to myself. Everybody can say what they want but I see some things, but we need to win games so we go to the next game.”

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What can you salvage in the Premier League this season? “Go to the next game and don’t focus on that. We have the Europa League and the next game in the Premier League, and that is the focus.”