His first game in charge is expected to be away against Keiran McKenna's Ipswich on the 24th of November. Amorim’s first game will be an interesting matchup considering McKenna’s past affiliations with the 13-time Premier League champions, as well as being a name regularly brought up in conversations about who could turn this Manchester United team around.
Manchester United sit 13th in the table at the time of Amorim’s appointment. With 3 wins in 9 games, Erik ten Hag’s job was hanging on by a thread, or more likely a ribbon from the FA Cup. Following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham, the INEOS hierarchy decided enough was enough, and the Dutchman was given his marching orders. Sporting CP, however, sit pretty at the top of the Primeira Liga on 32-goal difference, having won 10 in 10: a perfect record. Ruben Amorim has created a force to be reckoned with on the Iberian Peninsula, winning the club's first top-flight trophy in 19 years in the 2020-21 season. He matched that with a 90-point 1st place finish last season to bring their second league win of his tenure.
So why Amorim? The man hasn’t managed in Europe’s top 5 leagues, he has only been a manager for 6 years, he’s 39 years old and his playing career wasn’t anything to write home about. In his first professional coaching job at Braga, he took over an underperforming 8th-placed team, and within a month had won their first silverware in 4 years in a 1-0 domestic cup final win over eventual league winners Porto. Sporting CP recognised the talents of the young manager and paid out a then-3rd highest manager compensation fee of €10 million. In his next season, he won the league and since then the club has grown to become a serious force in Europe. Players developed under Amorim include the likes of Pedro Porro, Victor Gyökeres, Nuno Mendes and João Palhinha.
What can we expect? You may have heard the dreaded 3-4-3 being thrown around, what is this scary combination of numbers? Amorim sides often set up with 3 centre-backs, something Manchester United may struggle to do considering they have around 1 ½ fit centre-backs at the moment. He likes his flying wingbacks, something I’m sure Dalot and Mazraoui will be licking their lips at while he aims to control the midfield with a double pivot. His ability to man-manage his players is shown by the level of talent that has made its way through the Portuguese capital. The man seems suited for the job, but the role seems to be a poisoned chalice, forever sitting in the shadow of the great man himself, but can the man from Sporting break the chain?
