Ruben Amorim plans to compensate for limited coaching time by having Manchester United players who cannot participate in full training walk and jog through patterns of play, aiming to accelerate their learning process. With the congested schedule necessitating recovery between matches, Amorim detailed his coaching approach. He secured his first win with United on Thursday against Bodø/Glimt and the team is set to host Everton on Sunday. United's December schedule is packed, and depending on their performance in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League, they may not have a clear midweek break until March's international break, when Amorim would be without several key players.
"I was a football player," Amorim said. "Videos longer than 12 minutes? Forget it, due to concentration issues... Instead of video, we do it through walking and jogging – it's a method. And we show some videos." He added that his coaching staff, including Carlos Fernandes with the strikers, will focus on individual moments. "Everyone has a role in the staff and they are perhaps more important than me. We will review the game and identify what is lacking. These are excellent players; they need to believe, and we will show individual and team tactics. If you cannot run, you can jog."
Amorim used five substitutions against Bodø/Glimt – Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo, and Luke Shaw – before facing an Everton team that had a full week to prepare. "We have to use subs to manage fitness, not the game," the head coach explained. "We know it will be like that, so no excuses. We should be ready for Sunday and we have to win. We will rotate players and we will be prepared. That's just how it is."
Rasmus Højlund scored twice, doubling his season tally to four, and feels comfortable in Amorim's 3-4-3 formation. "The new system, new ideas, suit my style of play. I've played this kind of football before – not exactly the same, but a 3-4-3. I used to play in Atalanta in a similar style." Højlund played for the Italian club in the 2022-23 season, scoring 10 goals in 34 appearances. When asked about the differences between Amorim's system and Erik ten Hag's, the 21-year-old said, "The press is very different. I have to focus more on what's in front of me instead of behind. I showed last season, being the top scorer for the team, that I can score goals. I'm still young but I want to take responsibility, which is why I took the No 9 this year. I want to reach the next level, but I still have a lot to grow – I'm not yet the finished product."
Højlund's goal celebration featured a thumbs-up and thumb-down. "It's the Gladiator one. We watched it when we were with the national team. And I thought it was a nice celebration."
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