Kolkata: “Ruud. Thank you,” wrote Ruben Amorim on X, the post accompanied by a heart sign and a photograph of Ruud van Nistelrooy looking satisfied.
The Portuguese’s appointment is Manchester United’s first attempt at a clean break from the past. Erik ten Hag was given an extension by the same regime – a decision that was football’s equivalent of falling upwards – but the Dutchman had been appointed before Jim Ratcliffe became a minority owner, David Brailsford a director, Omar Berrada, poached from Manchester City, chief executive and Dan Ashworth sporting director after being lured from Newcastle.
The international break gives Amorim, 39, time to get to know the club with a record 20 league titles from the inside before travelling to Ipswich for his first match on November 24.
Like with Alex Ferguson, Amorim has arrived at Manchester United after winning the league with a club outside the top two. But as has been seen with Louis van Gaal, appointed after his third-place finish in the 2014 World Cup, and Erik Ten Hag, whose Ajax were seconds from a Champions League final, what works with one team may not at Manchester United. Add to that Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, stars of the club’s most successful period, never hesitating to shoot from the lip. And the global scrutiny being United’s coach entails.
“I am not naive, I know it’s going to be very, very different, very tough but I feel that I’m ready,” Amorim has said.
With three wins and one draw from four matches in all competitions, Nistelrooy gave United a semblance of stability before making way. Captain Bruno Fernandes returned to scoring in his 250th match for the club, Amad and Alejandro Garnacho showed Leicester City, and Old Trafford, why they should be persisted with, Manuel Ugarte looks to have bedded-in but that is where the good news pretty much ends.
United have struggled to score this season. Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund have two goals between them. At 18.75% (six out of 32), their big chance conversion is the worst in the Premier League. Amorim has arrived from a club that has scored 39 times in 11 matches. While allowing Zirkzee to settle in and ensuring Højlund’s speed, strength and ability to run is better utilised than the ball being hoofed to him, Amorim’s first task could be to get Rashford to play like he can.
Ten Hag and Nistelrooy have tried. They used Rashford in 18 matches, including all 11 in the Premier League where he has started in 10. Rashford looks less lost but he is far from the player who scored 30 goals and made 11 assists in 56 matches in 2022-23. At his best, Rashford offers pace, strength, finishing and defensive abilities that United have been missing for over one season.
At his final press conference as Sporting CP coach, Amorim said: “We don’t have a lot of time to train so I have to show something that I already know very well.” It was as broad a hint as any that he will try to implement the 3-4-3 formation that worked so well for him in Portugal.
United’s lack of balance in the squad could make that a difficult fit. They have an abundance of attacking options but no wingbacks of the kind Amorim had in Maximiliano Araujo and Geovany Quenda. Ten Hag once used Noussair Mazraoui as No.10 and he has been one of United’s consistent players but the Moroccan is a full back. Add to that Diogo Dalot’s form being iffy and Luke Shaw’s struggles with injury.
Leny Yoro, when available, Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Light can be centre-back options but Harry Maguire has struggled in a back three and Jonny Evans will be 37 in January. That could leave United light in that department.
In midfield, barring Ugarte, Amorim may not have players who can match the Uruguayan’s athleticism and intensity. They were crucial to Sporting being able to block teams in the middle and force them wide. Casemiro has recovered from the nightmare against Liverpool but he will be 33 in February. And Kobbie Mainoo will need time. Injuries to Barcelona’s young players over the years can be a cautionary tale.
Højlund and Zirkzee offer different options as centre-forward but from Fernandes, Amad, Garnacho, Mason Mount, Rashford and Christian Eriksen, Amorim will have a lot to choose when it comes to players behind the striker.
Ten Hag left United without a clear way of playing, his opting for a high press and low block often leaving them overrun in the midfield. Amorim will need to shift personnel and work the next few transfer windows well to get players who can reproduce his ideas on the pitch.
Berrada has said United aim to win the league in 2028. At a club notorious for chewing and spitting out managers and coaches, Amorim has a little over half that time to show that he can put them on the right path.