It took just one interview for Ruben Amorim to woo Manchester United fans and sell them the dream of bringing success back to their beloved club.
Composed, confident and concise – Amorim made his feelings clear on Friday evening, admitting that he was “honoured” to be chosen as Old Trafford’s next great leader. He arrives with a plan, to instil belief within his squad and re-stock United’s trophy cabinet with new silverware.
But what did we really learn from Amorim’s first words as United’s boss? 90min have analysed his interview.
The word identity has snuck it’s way into every conversation about Man Utd lately, and for all the wrong reasons.
The club have been continuously criticised for their lack of togetherness, but it looks like that’s all about to change. “We must have an identity,” Amorim told MUTV. “If our players take the shirt, they will know that it is the Manchester United team. Everybody thinks the same, running back, playing, enjoying. This is what drives me.”
Amorim certainly created an identity at his former club Sporting CP, guiding them to two top-flight titles during his four year stint with the Portugese side. Manchester City faced the full wrath of Amorim’s Sporting in the Champions League earlier this month, and if he can bring even a fraction of that to United, they could become a very feared Premier League outfit.
There’s been a lot of movement within Man Utd over the last few seasons, but they finally have a structured hierarchy, and now a new manager who has already formed a relationship with the club’s officials.
Amorim admitted: “Sir Jim [Ratcliffe] and Sir Dave [Brailsford], but especially Omar [Berrada], Dan [Ashworth] and Jason [Wilcox] – I felt a connection and I felt we are in the same moment. We want to do something special in the special club. So I think that was a key point.”
It’s important that Amorim mentioned these key figures during his first interview, it proves he understands the club and is highly rated by those in charge. He seems confident that he was who the club wanted to hire, and he’s willing to prove they made the right choice.
Since the initial murmurs of Amorim’s expected arrival at Old Trafford, there’s been conversations over how he sets up his teams and the stark differences between the way United currently play. But, it seems as if he’s not concerned with a new system or a change of tactics, and instead hopes to utilise the strengths of his squad.
“A lot of people now talk about the 3-4-3 and the 4-3-3 and all that stuff,” he said. “But when I think as a player or as a teammate of Manchester United, it is not a system of formation, it’s like the character of the players, the way they see the club.”
Despite all the criticisms, Man Utd do have a strong squad. With someone like Amorim at the helm, we may even see players who were once viewed as stars find their way back into the light.
Social media flooded with messages of praise and positivity following Amorim’s Friday night speech. It’s clear he already has the fans on side, something that will become crucial once he’s settled into his new role.
Fans were quick to turn on Erik ten Hag when the Dutchman started to provide poor results. Being in charge of a club like Man Utd, with a vast global following, can be both a blessing and a curse.
It’s certainly not for the fainthearted, but with the way things are going at the minute, Amorim will be welcomed to Old Trafford with open arms when he leads his first home fixture in the Europa League against Bodo/Glimt at the end of the month.
