The next head coach is allowed to try their hand at Manchester United. Ruben Amorim (39) is initially talking about a transition phase, but wants to see changes as early as this weekend.
When José Mourinho arrived at Chelsea in the Premier League in 2004, he quickly became known as “The Special One.” Of course, he had brought this upon himself with his quote. It was a similar story eleven years later in Liverpool with Jürgen Klopp – who had initially presented himself as the “Normal One,” in reference to Mourinho. And Ruben Amorim?
“Call me naive,” the 39-year-old compatriot of Mourinho suggested on Friday. Of course, the new Manchester United manager’s sentence went further. ‘But I believe that I am the right man at the right time.’
That’s probably what David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Mourinho himself, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and, most recently, Erik ten Hag had in mind. That is, the quintet who, as permanent head coaches at Amorim, tried to truly succeed Sir Alex Ferguson. No one has succeeded in doing so since his departure in 2013, which coincides with the last championship won by the struggling record champions.
Why should it be any different with Amorim? “I’m a dreamer,” he says, “I want to try new things,” he promises. But at least not the stars from the sky. Will his current contract period – until June 30, 2027 – be enough to bring the Red Devils a championship again? The Portuguese sees the period until then more as one for continuous improvement.
“We need a lot of time. We have to improve a lot to be able to win this league,” the new man on United’s sidelines is aware. He emphasized that he wants to change ‘the physical aspect of the team’ at his first press conference in his new role. Exciting. Step by step.
Dreams of winning titles seem presumptuous at Old Trafford anyway at the moment, with the Red Devils only 13th after 11 of 38 matchdays. But they are also only four points behind third place. So, for now, anything seems possible. “I know we have to win games at Manchester United,” Amorim says simply – it remains to be seen where this can lead this season.
Despite all the comparisons, Amorim, a former midfielder, cautions against expecting Amorim to have a similar impact to Mourinho’s at Chelsea. For him, the parallels with the Special One end at one point at the latest. “Back then, you looked at him and thought he could win anywhere,” Amorim said. “He came in as a Champions League winner. I don’t.”
For the time being 3-4-3
To what extent the two Portuguese are comparable in their approach to football in England’s top division can be seen for the first time when United visit newly promoted Ipswich Town on Sunday evening – although Amorim is also putting the brakes on this. He will not be overturning everything right away, says the ten Hag successor.
However, Amorim did announce one change, saying he would initially stick with the 3-4-3 formation he established at Sporting: “The positioning of the players will be different, and where they get the ball.” As for that, everyone can take a look on Sunday, said Manchester’s next big hope. Clear the ring.