Ruben Amorim says he will learn more about Manchester United from Thursday's match against Southampton than he did from their recent trips to Liverpool and Arsenal.

United host the Premier League's bottom club next time out, having lost each of their last three home games in the competition.

They last lost four straight league games at Old Trafford in February 1934 as a second-tier club (a run of five), last doing so in the top flight in October 1930 (six in a row).

On the road, though, United have claimed a couple of impressive results lately.

They fought back from 2-1 down to earn a 2-2 draw at Liverpool to start 2025, then eliminated Arsenal from the FA Cup on penalties following a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

United played on the break for long periods in those games, registering a 47.1% possession share at Anfield and just 29.6% at the Emirates, where they played around an hour with 10 men after Diogo Dalot was sent off.

But the Red Devils have struggled when tasked with taking the initiative this season, only winning one of the six league games in which they have enjoyed a 57% possession share or greater (two draws, three defeats). 

Speaking at Wednesday's pre-match press conference, Amorim said: "I think tomorrow will tell us more about our team than the last two games.

"The most difficult thing to train in one team is the way you build with the ball and, in the final third, the way you create situations. 

"That is what a big team should do very well and for that we also need time to train. We have had, for a long time, a lack of goals."

Last season, Amorim's Sporting CP side ranked third for goals scored (96) across Europe's top 10 leagues, while United – under Erik ten Hag – ranked joint-52nd with 57.

The Red Devils have attempted a higher proportion of their shots from outside the box than any other side in the Premier League this season (37%), demonstrating their struggles to break down defences.

Amorim knows United must improve significantly in the final third if they are to compete for major honours, warning they cannot rely on their counterattacking prowess in most games.

"We didn't spend a lot of time during these games in the last third with the ball – we did it against Nottingham Forest, but we need to improve in that part of the game," he said.

"I understand in this moment it is okay to play like that against Liverpool and Arsenal. 

"Against Arsenal we waited for the opportunity but in the future, you cannot play like that, and I know that.

"But we need time to build a different way of playing. In the future we are going to focus a lot on that."