Manchester United women's manager appears to aim BRUTAL swipe at Ruben Amorim - as he reveals where his 'confidence' differs to under pressure men's boss

Manchester United women's manager Marc Skinner has appeared to aim a brutal dig at Ruben Amorim, insisting he is 'not one of these managers' who looks away at penalties. 

Skinner, 42, watched his side beat Norwegian outfit Valerenga 1-0 in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, with Maya Le Tissier netting the winning penalty midway through the first half.

Le Tissier kept her composure with a cool finish from the penalty spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way before wheeling away in celebration with her team-mates.

The Red Devils' men's team, who have endured another disappointing start to the season under Ruben Amorim, have not had much success with penalties so far this campaign, with captain Bruno Fernandes missing twice from the spot in the Premier League during their 1-1 draw with Fulham and 3-1 defeat by Brentford.

United also endured a penalty shootout defeat against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup in August, suffering a shock exit at the hands of the League Two club in the second round.

During both the penalty shootout against the Mariners — and Fernandes' late winner from the spot during United's 3-2 victory over Burnley — Amorim looked away while the spot-kicks were taken.

Skinner, by contrast, urged after Wednesday's Champions League win that he would never look away while his player is taking a penalty. 

'When she steps up for a penalty I feel confident,' he said. 'I absolutely do. I'm not one of these managers that look away - you're at the mercy of technique not whether the wind is blowing in the wrong direction.

'I think it's technique and composure and it's mental acumen that I spoke about earlier. She practises them, she's calm with them and I trust her technique 100 per cent.'

Furious fans of the men's team hit out at Amorim after he refused to watch any of the 26 penalties taken during Man United's 12-11 shootout defeat against Grimsby.

One United fan posted: 'I'm sorry but the manager not watching the penalties is an absolutely f*****g awful look.'

Another wrote: 'You might not like watching penalties (the fact United were lucky to get there tells its own story) but the optics of Amorim crouching behind his staff during the shoot out, on yet another disastrous night for the club, were not great.' 

'Absolutely pathetic from Amorim to sit not watching the penalties. What message did that send? Dead man walking,' a third posted. 

Even Daily Mail Sport's Chief Football Reporter Craig Hope criticised the manager for his 'weak' behaviour.

'Ruben Amorim sitting in the dugout & not watching his players taking penalties hardly screams later. Even if Man Utd had won, that tells me he's not the right man for a club of that size. Weak,' he wrote.

After hiding in the dugout at Blundell Park, Amorim again looked away at a penalty days later when Fernandes stepped up to snatch a late win over Burnley, gazing into the Stretford End instead.

When asked after the match why he refuses to watch his players taking penalties, Amorim said: 'I like to see the image of the fans. What has to be has to be. 

'In that moment, I was thinking it would be fair to win the game – and I did not think Bruno would miss a second in a row.’