After moving on from Erik ten Hag, Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United may have already zeroed in on their next target as reports are linking them to Ruben Amorim of Sporting Club Portugal. According to ESPN, the Red Devils are looking to move fast and have Amorim in place by facing Chelsea during the weekend.
The 39-year-old Portuguese manager has been impressive since taking over Sporting in 2020 and has the club on the right track in the Champions League to start off this campaign. From being able to improve players after signing them to favoring a possession-based approach and a back three that could suit Manchester United, there’s a lot to like, but the most important question is would he be the right fit for the club?
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Unfortunately, the Red Devils find themselves in a tougher position to push for managers after signing ten Hag to an extension during the summer. If they made a move then, managers like Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel would’ve been available instead of being tied to national teams. That doesn’t mean that Amorim is a bad choice, more that since the issues at Manchester United have always been deeper than the manager, whether a boss is a good fit is about more than just the tactics he brings to performances on the field.
Since moving on from an institution in Sir Alex Ferguson, there have been changes in managers and personnel, but the same issues still remain. United need a midfielder who can control a game, a proper nine, and it wouldn’t hurt if they signed another winger. Amorim or anyone being the manager won’t change that. But when it comes to tactics and being able to help realize that vision, that’s where Amorim could excel.
Amorim’s tactical vision
Wanting to win the possession battle, Amorim prefers to operate in a 3-4-3 or 3-2-4-1, allowing wing backs to dictate play and getting his wide players into space. He has already worked with one of United’s big summer purchases, Manuel Ugarte, previously and just missed overlapping with Bruno Fernandes at Sporting. Both are players who would be critical to making this system work, but United have a lot of players who could excel in this setup like Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo. Figuring out the wide areas would still be an issue and how summer signing Joshua Zirkzee fits is also unknown, but those aren’t new problems for the Red Devils.
Getting a new manager in at this stage would provide time to find their footing ahead of the November international break which allows crucial time to work with players without compressed matchweeks. With United also competing in the Europa League, while they need to right the ship quickly, the expanded table format still allows ample opportunities to push for advancing to the knockout stages.
There are always worries when a manager comes to the Premier League for the first time, but Amorim also isn’t an average manager. Sporting weren’t the dominant power in the Portuguese top flight when Amorim took over and he helped end a 19 year title drought coming in ahead of Porto and Benfica. Last season he won another league title and also made the Taca de Portugal final falling to Porto.
Amorim’s team-building history tested by United
This has been done with an ever rotating cast of players, but he has found roles for players from the English Championship, Liga MX, and the Danish Superliga without missing a beat. United have been able to hit on some global stars over the years, but when it comes to spending at the fringes to flesh out a squad, the Red Devils have struggled. Victor Lindelof arrived from Benfica ahead of the 2017-18 season. Since then, transfers at the fringes haven’t worked and some, like, for example, signing Antony, could end up becoming expensive mistakes.
That’s not on Amorim to deal with if he ends up leading Manchester United, but there’s a clear reason why they’ve struggled under so many managers. Without fixing the recruitment issues, managers have to rely too much on the academy or players past their prime due to lack of options where they’re needed. It’s good to be able to buy stars like Fernandes and there are stars in the making like Alejandro Garnacho, but they need to be surrounded by a solid squad who knows their role.
Under ten Hag there was too much uncertainty in the lineup and how the club went about things, but the speed at which United is trying to secure Amorim and getting him to depart a Champions League club, it could be a signal that things could be changing. If that also includes a reunion with his current striker Viktor Gyokeres, this could be a pretty short turnaround the Red Devils. With how much has gone wrong at the club over the years, they can’t be given the benefit of doubt to turn things around quickly, but bringing in Amorim is a step in the right direction. More steps will need to follow but those don’t take place on the touchline.
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