MANCHESTER -- Ruben Amorim has backed Sean Dyche's right to criticise his system while he was working as a pundit, but insists he never thought about changing his tactical approach despite pressure from the fans and the media.
Dyche claimed during a spell out of work that he "could win more games with that squad playing a 4-4-2" rather than Amorim's 3-4-3.
But the Portuguese coach has since turned things around with three wins in a row and faces Dyche on Saturday when United play Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.
Asked about Dyche's comments at a news conference on Thursday, Amorim said: "Maybe it's true if we play 4-4-2 we would win more games.
"But I always said that I have a way of playing that is going to take a while, but in the future it's going to be better. So we don't know that.
"Then I can look at Sean Dyche as a manager and then as a pundit.
"If you are a pundit and you don't say very strong things, I don't want to watch you! I'm the same. So I can understand that it's a completely different job. I know that Sean Dyche is really smart and he knows how to play the game.
"And he also understands that one thing is when we are seeing the game and talking about the game, the other thing is to coach a team."
The trip to Forest marks one year since Amorim was appointed United boss as a replacement for former manager Erik ten Hag.
Consecutive wins over Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton have eased the pressure on his job -- but he admits he has faced difficult moments during his 12 months at Old Trafford.
"It was a journey, a big journey," said Amorim, reflecting on his year in charge.
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"It was tough, really tough, good moments and bad moments. I learned a lot that is really important.
"I found out that even in my lower moments I can stick with the things I believe and that is a good thing for anyone to understand.
"Today the answer is different from three weeks ago. One of the biggest honours of my life to be here and I want to continue here for many years."