Having flirted with Liverpool and West Ham United beforehand, it seems that Ruben Amorim has lastly earned his desired transfer to the Premier League as Manchester United take a punt on the thrilling Portuguese coach.
The Purple Devils recognized the Sporting CP boss as the right alternative for the lately dismissed Erik ten Hag, with the 39-year-old having received admirers throughout Europe after profitable a number of Primeira Liga titles in Lisbon.
Amorim brings with him contemporary concepts, a new-look formation and his personal distinct philosophy, however he’s accepting one of the vital high-pressure jobs in world soccer. There isn’t any room for error at Outdated Trafford.
Luckily, Amorim is inheriting an especially gifted squad. Constructing confidence and instilling his beliefs within the United gamers is his first battle, and the previous Portugal worldwide will have already got thought-about his most popular beginning XI in Manchester.
Here is how 90min believes Amorim’s United might look.
Andre Onana has been one of many few gamers to have improved on final season’s performances at first of 2024/25. An error-strewn debut marketing campaign with the Purple Devils put him within the firing line however he has discovered some consistency along with his arms and ft.
Amorim prides his groups on being possession-centric and having the capability to play out from the again each swiftly and successfully. Onana’s distribution was usually questionable final season however he was famend for his correct passing when representing Inter.
Man Utd supporters are nonetheless but to see their shiny £52m summer time signing Leny Yoro, with an damage in pre-season having dominated him out of motion. Nonetheless, the 18-year-old ought to return to the fold comparatively quickly and he shall be wanting to make an instantaneous impression on Amorim.
Amorim’s success with Sporting has hinged on a fluid again three, with the likes of Goncalo Inacio, Sebastian Coates and Ousmane Diomande amongst those that carried out his orders within the defensive position.
Amorim needs athletic defenders able to breaking via an opposition press with incisive passing and the flexibility to drive ahead themselves. Yoro ticks these containers regardless of his tender age,
Matthijs de Ligt’s United profession has been affected by errors and misfortune to this point, however there may be no doubting the Dutchman’s high quality when he hits his stride. He has proven glimpses of his expertise at Juventus and Bayern Munich since leaving Ten Hag’s Ajax, even profitable the Kopa Trophy again in 2019.
Nonetheless, he should enhance if he needs to cement a beginning spot in Amorim’s trio of centre-halves. De Ligt would seemingly be primed because the central member of the unit, providing him some much-needed safety.
Lisandro Martinez ought to thrive in a again three. The damaging defender, who’s adept within the left-back place, will naturally sit on the left-hand facet, and his aggression and South American grit ought to permit United to press with the depth that Amorim wishes from his workforce.
Martinez’s lack of peak will show much less detrimental in a again three, with Yoro and De Ligt tasked with profitable the vast majority of the aerial duels. The Argentine’s technical potential makes him the right participant to step into midfield as United play via the press.
Amorim’s 3-4-3 system is one which prioritises wing play and the Portuguese coach needs his extensive midfielders/wing-backs to have attacking potential. Regardless of not being essentially the most assured offensive full-back the Premier League has ever witnessed, Diogo Dalot has proven his potential to step into the ultimate third with ease.
The Portuguese defender will definitely haven’t any points speaking along with his new boss and will present Amorim with stability down the right-hand facet.
United ought to be constructing their future across the ‘Stockport Seedorf’. Kobbie Mainoo has the potential to be one of many world’s finest midfielders over the subsequent decade having already shone as an adolescent and Amorim has historical past creating gifted central midfielders.
It was the function Amorim performed himself throughout his profession and the likes of Morten Hjulmand, Joao Palhinha and Mainoo’s new team-mate Manuel Ugarte have all thrived below his watch, with Mainoo prone to play a defining function in Amorim’s new-look lineup.
Ugarte constructed his profession below Amorim, donning a Sporting jersey on 85 events below the Portuguese coach earlier than making the unsuccessful big-money transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. Naturally, the Uruguayan shall be an vital a part of Amorim’s plans at United.
After a shaky begin to his United profession in a misfiring workforce, Ugarte shall be thrilled to learn the headlines relating to Amorim’s seemingly arrival at Outdated Trafford. In a extra structured and acquainted setting, the combative midfielder ought to thrive.
Equally to Dalot on the opposite facet of United’s workforce, Luke Shaw shall be anticipated to bomb up and down the flank below Amorim. That should not be a difficulty for the England worldwide, who’s a strong runner and energetic presence, however conserving himself match is the principle impediment to success.
Whether or not Amorim will desire a extra attack-minded choice on certainly one of his flanks stays to be seen, however United do not at present possess a winger that boasts the defensive nous to reach extensive midfield.
Bruno Fernandes is one other who is aware of all about Amorim. The pair did not fairly cross paths throughout Fernandes’ time at Sporting, with Amorim appointed the membership’s head coach a bit of over a month after the United skipper made the transfer to Outdated Trafford. Nonetheless, he could have seemingly had loads of discussions with former team-mates and people again in Lisbon relating to the younger supervisor.
The place Fernandes suits below Amorim is unclear. With the Sporting boss not favouring a quantity ten in his system, Fernandes may very well be pushed wider in the direction of the right-hand facet, and even probably dropped right into a double midfield pivot in additional winnable fixtures. He might carry out an identical operate to Sporting star Pedro Goncalves, who has thrived below Amorim.
If Amorim can have the identical influence on Rasmus Hojlund as he did on Viktor Gyokeres, United are on to a winner. The 39-year-old was key in convincing Gyokeres to affix Sporting from Coventry Metropolis and has subsequently turned him right into a world-beating quantity 9 prone to fetch the Lisbon facet upwards of £80m sooner or later.
£72m Hojlund hasn’t been capable of finding consistency or rhythm since transferring to United from Atalanta in 2023, with accidents and a dysfunctional entrance line inflicting him points. Nonetheless, he shares similarities with Gyokeres by way of his physique, tempo and talent to carry the ball up, which is a constructive signal for each the Denmark worldwide and his potential new coach.
Unlocking Marcus Rashford can be helpful for Amorim however the England worldwide will not be a assured starter any longer. The younger and infrequently extra impactful Alejandro Garnacho may very well be Amorim’s go-to left winger.
Garnacho’s potential is there for all to see and the 2024 Copa America winner can blossom into a really devastating extensive participant with wonderful velocity, agility and ball-striking potential. The Argentine shall be excited to workforce up with a extra offensive-minded coach.
