Ruben Amorim calls Pep Guardiola claims 'a joke' as Man Utd boss feels the pressure

Ruben Amorim has dismissed any comparisons about the pressure he and Pep Guardiola face going into Sunday's Manchester derby - and insists it is a "joke" to do so because he is under far more strain than his rival. Despite United going into this fixture in a higher position in the Premier League table than City for the first time in five years, Amorim scoffed at the idea of Guardiola facing similar pressure, considering the City manager's impressive record of six league titles and a Champions League victory in the last nine years.

Amorim has been in charge at Old Trafford since last November and he closes in on 12 months in charge, there are question marks about whether the Portuguese coach will be the long-term solution. United have only won one of their four games across all competitions this season and that came against relegation-threatened Burnley courtesy of a stoppage-time penalty. But City have lost two of their first three league games and will kick off at the Etihad at least six points behind title rivals Liverpool, who could stretch that gap to nine points by then.

"No, you cannot compare," said Amorim of the pressure he and Guardiola face. "The guy is winning all the time. He can relax if he's not winning anymore. I have to prove myself every day here and I feel that.

"So I'm really comfortable with that and I think that every day that I come here, that I have to do better. To compare me with the situation of Guardiola is just a joke. I think we have bigger problems. We continue to have bigger problems, but we're addressing everything.

"Sometimes we're frustrated and angry, but we're facing all the problems and we're trying to improve. I see the team playing so much better now. We just need to be more clinical to win more games and then things are going to get easier."

Last season, Amorim managed to defeat Guardiola twice, once with Sporting in the Champions League and again with United in a thrilling derby. But the Red Devils still ended last season 15th in the table - their worst league finish in over half a century.

And Amorim, looking back on last year's win at the Etihad, added: "It's hard to point to a game last year that was a backfire. We had so many moments like that. We just focus on the future.

"We have four points. I think we should have more at this moment, but we need to be really competitive. It's a very important game for everybody here, but especially for our fans, so we'll try to do our best."