In a surprising admission, Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has conceded that his team is facing greater challenges this season compared to their rivals Manchester City.

Despite City’s recent struggles, which have seen them win just once in their last 10 games across all competitions, Amorim believes United’s problems are more significant.

“They are so good at what they do, that they can change this momentum any time,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “They are a very strong team with a lot of years working together. They won a lot but also lost a lot. We have a bigger problem because we are working on simple things but we want to win like Manchester City.”

The comments come ahead of the highly anticipated Manchester derby on Sunday, where both teams will be looking to bounce back from their recent poor form.

United have lost their last two Premier League games against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, but managed to secure a Europa League victory against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday, giving Amorim his third win in six games since taking over at Old Trafford.

Amorim, who earned his first scalp against Pep Guardiola’s City in November as Sporting boss, believes the previous encounter does not have any bearing on the upcoming derby. Instead, he is eager to see how his players react in the high-pressure atmosphere of a Manchester derby.

“We can’t use so much from that [Sporting] game but it helped us to understand the game and feel the game really close,” Amorim said. “We have so much to do, not just in the game. But we are looking at the way we will play. I’m excited to see the behaviour of our players, in this kind of game – to learn a lot about our players.”

With little time for Amorim to implement significant changes, the United boss has emphasized the need for patience during the club’s transition period.

“This should be like a pre-season, where I get to know my players but we do this in competition,” Amorim said. “You always have surprises. You have an idea of a player and you have one or two surprises in good and bad ways.”

As United and City both look to regain their form, the upcoming derby promises to be a crucial test for both teams and their respective managers.