Ruben Amorim has dismissed the notion that managing Manchester United is an insurmountable task, but he acknowledges that his two-and-a-half-year contract may not be sufficient to secure the title. Amorim is the sixth permanent manager appointed by United since their last Premier League triumph under Sir Alex Ferguson in May 2013. His predecessors—David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and Erik ten Hag—all failed to transform the team into title contenders. When asked if managing United was the impossible job, Amorim, 39, firmly replied, “No, of course not.” He added, “Call me naive, but I believe I am the right person at the right time. I could be wrong, but the Earth will continue to turn, and the sun will rise again. I’m not worried about that. I truly believe I’m the right person for this job. I don’t yet know the biggest challenge, but I will find out in the coming months.
Amorim, who is contracted until summer 2027, believes that a longer tenure is necessary to bring United their 21st title. “I have two years and a half. In two years, you can assess whether I am the right manager for this process. We will need more time—if you look at the clubs winning the league, they have been in this process for a long time.” He understands that more than two and a half years will be required and that they must win something, somewhere, within that timeframe.
Amorim was also asked about his confidence in the players, whose performance led to Ten Hag’s dismissal. United currently sit 13th but are only four points behind third-placed Chelsea. “You have to believe, and I believe in them,” he said. “When I start this week… you can say it’s only one week of training, but they are open to different things. The only thing I ask is hard work and belief in the idea.” He acknowledges that the squad has lost confidence, which is normal when players don’t win games. “I have to help them, but they are ready to cope with the demands of games in the Premier League. Sometimes they have a bad first half and then change in the second half, so they need to find that mindset.”
Amorim’s first game in charge is Sunday’s trip to Ipswich, where he plans to stick with his 3-4-3 system. “As a coach, you have to choose one way or another,” he said. “I always choose 100% our way. I choose to take a bit of a risk. I believe so much in our way of playing, and they will too. There is no second way.” He also wants a significant say in recruitment. “We have to improve the recruitment process, the data. It’s all together, but the final word should be the manager’s, not because it’s a right but because it’s a responsibility. I have to understand the league, and then when everything is aligned, we can buy and sell players. It’s not the final word, but I have a great responsibility when we choose the players.”
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