Ruben Amorim says some of his Manchester United players are "afraid" on the pitch going into their daunting clash with rivals Liverpool.

The arrival of Amorim from Sporting CP to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag is yet to have a positive impact on United’s results.

United have lost four straight matches in all competitions and have not scored in three straight Premier League defeats.

They arrive at Anfield having slumped to 14th in the table, with the Opta supercomputer rating them as more likely than not to finish in the bottom half, which would represent their worst-ever finish.

Amorim's new side now travel to play rivals Liverpool, who are flying high at the top of the table, on Sunday at a venue where they have struggled badly over recent years. 

The Red Devils have not won in their last eight Premier League away games against Liverpool, failing to score in any of the last five.

"They [the players] are anxious, and sometimes afraid on the pitch," Amorim told reporters ahead of the game.

"We have to cope with that. We need the leaders to step up to help the other guys.

"You can see the players are trying [but] sometimes too anxious, too afraid to play football because this is a difficult moment.

"I'm the most responsible person here to improve the performances and we will help the players to be better."

In terms of his own position, Amorim acknowledged he is feeling the pressure of turning the club’s fortunes around.

Asked about the pressure of managing at Old Trafford, he said: "Of course there is a lot of pressure. You can see in my face, you can compare it to when I arrive and now!

"For me, it's more the pride and also the performance. It's harder when we don't perform well.

"When I arrived I explained everything before, even when you guys were talking after [beating] Everton about the top four, I explained I was expecting this.

"But it's still hard to cope with all the problems and the bad performances and the losses. 

"It's really hard. The only thing that can help me is training with the players. And I also have my family now here so it's so different and that can help me a lot.

"I will do my best. I am giving everything to help the club and we are going to succeed. I know it is hard to understand that in this moment, but we are going to succeed."

It is a tough start to 2025 for United. As well as the tough test against Liverpool, they will play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on January 12 in the FA Cup third round.

United are closer to the relegation zone than the top eight in terms of points, as they are seven ahead of third-bottom Ipswich Town, while they trail Aston Villa in eighth by 10.

Amorim recently said the reason he has started talking about the possibility of relegation is because the club needs a shock, with United in their lowest league position at the start of a new year since 1989.