Manchester United fired Erik ten Hag and replaced him with Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim. Club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy is coaching the team as the interim coach until the Portuguese will officially take over on November 11.
When he takes over, he will have plenty of work to do to make the 20-time English champions compete for the Premier League after years of underachievement.
On Tuesday night, Amorim was closely watched when Sporting faced Manchester City in the Champions League.
His side hammered the English champions 4-1, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick. Fans will surely be licking their chops in the coming days as they await his arrival.
However, they will have to wait until November 24 to watch his lead the team for the first time. There are a few issues that will be a priority for the 39-year-old.
3 issues Amorim must address at Man United
Give Man United clear identity
The English giants have struggled with an identity crisis since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. Amorim will be the sixth permanent coach since Ferguson left, and all came with their own style of play....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
Ten Hag tried to implement a modern approach, and although it brought two trophies, it didn’t work in the league. Amorim is known to play a three-man defence; if he employs that, it will take time for the players to adapt. He said he is open to being pragmatic as his new squad grasps his ideas.
“I already said previously you cannot transport one reality into another,” he said after SPorting’s win over Man City per BBC. “At Manchester United you cannot play exactly like this. You cannot play so defensively and so there we will have to adapt.”
Rejuvenate Rashford and Fernandes
Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have been the club’s best players in the last few seasons, creating and scoring goals. When they struggle, Man United struggle. In Ten Hag’s first season, Rashford finished as the top scorer but has regressed drastically in the last two campaigns.
Fernandes creates plenty of chances for his teammates, but the team’s lack of clinical finishing has affected his assist numbers. Under Amorim’s attacking style, Fernandes will have to step up even more. Amorim will have to find a way to play Rashford and Fernandes in his 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation.
Address goal scoring problem
In the last three seasons, Man United have scored 57 goals (2023/24), 58 (2022/23), and 57 (2021/22) in the Premier League. Despite creating big chances and bringing in strikers, they have failed to score consistently. In comparison, champions Man City scored 99, 94, and 96 goals at the same time.
Amorim’s Sporting score for fun, and he will be tasked with helping the team start firing. The club’s strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee will be expected to step up by Amorim.
