With his casual demeanor, a head full of jet-black wavy hair, and his confident assertion that “we choose our way 100%,” Ruben Amorim brought a refreshing energy to his introductory media conference at the packed Jimmy Murphy Centre. United, currently trailing third place by just four points, have a golden opportunity to turn their season around. However, Amorim faces significant challenges in the form of the club he has joined and the squad he has inherited.
The 39-year-old expressed enthusiasm about his numerous meetings at United and was resolute in his belief in the players he trains. Dressed in a club tracksuit with red front panels and blue arms, Amorim was as open in his responses as Erik ten Hag was reserved. Despite their differing personalities, the Dutchman, along with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, all succumbed to the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at United. This period, characterized by executive mismanagement and inconsistent player recruitment, is a vortex that can only be truly understood through experience.
Amorim’s mission is to work miracles with a squad that, apart from Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martínez, and Marcus Rashford (if he can regain consistency), is average. When asked why he believed in a group that led to Ten Hag’s dismissal, Amorim replied, “The only thing I ask: hard work and you have to believe in the new idea. And I felt that. Until they prove me wrong, I believe in the players.”
As United’s new football chief, Sir Jim Ratcliffe was expected to bring about a much-needed reset in the boardroom. However, after failing to remove Ten Hag in the summer, United spent £200m on five players favored by the manager—Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Joshua Zirkzee—before a surprising Ratcliffe U-turn led to the Dutchman’s departure last month. This raises questions about the minority owner and his team, including chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, and whether they have significantly improved upon the previous regimes of Richard Arnold/John Murtough and Ed Woodward/Murtough. Amorim could end up being the latest manager to fall victim to questionable decisions from above.
For now, Amorim must integrate 14 of Ten Hag’s signings into his 3-4-3 formation, along with key players like Fernandes and Rashford, whose unique talents are crucial yet challenging to fit into a cohesive unit. Amorim framed the challenge this way: “I don’t know about repair, but we have space to grow as a team. We need to improve in many areas: understanding the game, adapting to a different style of play mid-season, and enhancing our physical fitness.”
Amorim is being paid handsomely—nearly €10m (£8.3m) a year—to achieve this. Ten Hag finished third in his debut season, but this was with an underperforming attack that scored only 58 goals and had a goal difference of 15, the sixth-best in the division. The key was Rashford’s 17 Premier League goals, making his revival a top priority for Amorim, alongside fitting him and Fernandes into his new system.
Amorim explained, “It’s not a revolution because football isn’t so different with five, three, or four defenders. I can’t say it’s evolution because we’ll have to wait and see, but we’ll play a different type of football. We have our ideas, and while they may not be the best, they’re our way of seeing football. We lose the ball too often and need to keep possession better. We must improve our defensive running and focus on the small details. Sometimes we hope to change big things, but it’s the small things that matter.”
The Portuguese manager, who fielded questions from nine journalists who flew in from his homeland, will need all the help he can get to achieve United’s elusive 21st championship. His lively charisma will certainly aid him. When asked about his compatriot Mourinho, Amorim said, “I’m different. Mourinho made you feel he could win anywhere. He was a European champion. I’m not. I’m a different guy in a different moment. Football nowadays is different, and I’m the right person at the moment. I’m young, I understand the players, and I try to use that to help my players. It’s still the best club in England, and we want to win.”
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