‘Theater of a Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd

New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he is the right man to revive the ailing English giants’ fortunes ahead of his debut against Ipswich on Sunday.

Amorim was hired from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after a dismal start to the season left United languishing in 13th place in the Premier League. The 39-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe after leading Sporting to a pair of Portuguese titles during his four years in Lisbon.

But United have won just four of their 11 league games this term, extending a malaise that has set in since they last won the Premier League in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge 11 years ago.

Asked if he believes he can eventually restore United to the summit of English football, Amorim told reporters on Friday: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself. I believe in the club, we have the same mindset. I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do.”

After arriving in Manchester during the international break, Amorim will finally get his first taste of the Premier League when United travel to struggling Ipswich this weekend. He is trying to succeed where David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag all failed by bringing the title back to Old Trafford.

The Portuguese boss is adamant reviving United is not an impossible job, despite a difficult combination of high expectations and an underperforming squad. “Call me naive, but I truly believe that I’m the right guy at the right moment,” he added.

 

November 22, 2024

‘We have to improve a lot’

Amorim was speaking to the media for the first time since taking charge on November 11. The packed press conference room at United’s Carrington training ground underlined what Amorim has already started to realise about the size and global reach of the 20-time English champions.

“It’s bigger than I imagined. There’s a lot of departments, it’s so much different than Sporting, and Sporting is a big club in Portugal,” he said. “This you feel is a global club, so you have so much to do.”

Amorim’s rise has been compared to the early success enjoyed by compatriot Mourinho at Porto. Mourinho took English football by storm when appointed Chelsea boss in 2004, shortly after guiding Porto to Champions League glory.

“He sent me a message saying it’s a big club with lovely people, and he’s correct, it still is,” Amorim said of Mourinho. “With all the Portuguese coaches, we’ve shown that we can be the best in the world. I’m different from Mourinho. He was a European champion, I am not.

“Football is different nowadays, I think I am the right person for this moment. I am a young guy and I try to use this to help my players.” Amorim’s confidence extends to his tactics and he is ready to stick with his preferred 3-4-3 system despite players who might not be suited to the formation.

“I prefer to risk a little bit,” he said. “We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profile. This team was built for a different system. It’s not evolution or revolution, it’s a change in the way we play football.”

Acknowledging United’s numerous flaws, Amorim knows he faces a massive task to catch up with the likes of rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. “We have space to grow as a team. We have to improve in a lot of areas,” he said.

“If you want to speak about the team and the way we play, we lose the ball too often. We have to be better at running back and we have to be very good in the details. We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. We have to improve a lot to try to win the title.”