Rúben Amorim at Manchester United: three takeaways from new coach's first interview
The Portuguese spoke to the club's official site about the job at hand as he prepares to take the reins from Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford
Rúben Amorim has given his first interview as Manchester United’s manager. The Portuguese has left Sporting CP for Old Trafford and will take charge of his first game after the current international break.
Amorim enjoyed success at Sporting, leading the Lisbon side to two Portuguese titles, two Portuguese cups and a Supercup in his four-and-a-half years with the Lions.
The 39-year-old takes over from Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman sacked late in October after an extremely disappointing start to the season.
So what can fans expect? Here, a look at three takeaways from Amorim’s first interview at Manchester United…
He’s charismatic
More important than you might think. Some of the stories from Erik ten Hag’s tenure as Manchester United manager have highlighted the Dutchman’s warmth and genorisity. Clearly, he was a good person. But Ten Hag appeared awkward in front of the cameras and some of his prickly quotes rubbed players up the wrong way. When times were tough, his lack of charisma worked against him – with the media, the fans and also the players.
Amorim is different. Comfortable in front of the camera, articulate and engaging, the Portuguese appears to be everything Ten Hag was not in that respect. It is easier to be charming at the beginning, of course. José Mourinho is an example of that and when he started out as coach at Porto, Mou spoke of the importance of charisma in winning over his players. As we have seen at United and elsewhere, however, his charisma turns to chaos sooner or later and things do not end well.
Voices from Portugal insist Amorim is a genuinely positive presence and his vow to stick up for his players, unlike Mourinho and Ten Hag at times, backs up this view. “I will defend my players if I have to, all the time, against everybody,” he said. “That is a key point for me, and I will try to do everything to put this club in the place that it belongs.” This will earn him the trust of his players, while his charm and charisma will be useful when times are tough in one of the most difficult jobs in world football.
A team player
Former Real Madrid coach Zinédine Zidane said his best quality was that he understood the psyche of the players, having been there himself. Unlike Zidane, Amorim was not a great player, but his career as a footballer has clearly helped him.
In the interview, Amorim spoke of how he played virtually every position during his career, except for goalkeeper and centre-forward. “I played at right-back, left-back, centre-back, midfielders, winger, number 10, number eight,” he said. And he added: “I was a team player and for me that is important. And also because I was a team player, sometimes I had to stay on the bench. So I know everything my players feel. So when I think about a team, I think about every player, about the fans, the feeling, everything is on my mind.”
Asked about his philosophy as a coach, he said: “In one word: team. The team is the most important thing for me. And if you work as a team, then the talent individually is going to shine. But if I have to explain the importance of everything, it is the character, the way we fight, the way we play, and we must have an identity. 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.”
A clear identity
One of the recurring criticisms of Erik ten Hag’s tenure at Manchester United was the apparent lack of a clear playing style or philosophy. Fans and even pundits were regularly left to question what the idea was and it appeared to be different from one week to the next.
In his interview, Amorim did not speak of his previous preference for three at the back, nor about the formation he will use at Manchester United. But he did say that even early on in his reign, fans will see a clear plan.
“I think you will see an idea,” he said. “You could like it or not, I don’t know, but you will see an idea. You will see a positioning. You will see something that we want to reach that kind of level. You will feel that. But we have to know that it's like two trainings before the first match. This is the best league in the world. But if I have to say something to you, you will see an idea. This I can guarantee.” Encouraging.