Dressing room sources have revealed Ruben Amorim is “not as close” with the Manchester United squad as his predecessor Erik ten Hag and that the Portuguese coach is said to be “maintaining a professional distance” ahead of a planned upheaval of the first-team this summer.
Amorim’s Predecessors
Ten Hag, who was dismissed as manager at the end of October, was often “gruff” and blunt in interviews and press-conferences, while he had a number of public “run-ins” with senior players, including Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
However, the Manchester Evening News contends the Dutchman maintained “loyal bonds” with a number of players he had brought to Old Trafford and was “popular” with academy graduates who had established themselves in the first-team under the 55-year-old coach.
This included Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, two of the shining last season in an otherwise dismal campaign for the Red Devils, outside of the FA Cup triumph with both youngsters playing a key part in the 2-1 win over Manchester City.
The report states, “Amorim is not as close with most of the players as predecessor Erik ten Hag was”.
Similarly, Ruud van Nistelrooy – the club’s interim manager before Amorim replaced Ten Hag – was “appreciated” by the United squad for his personable approach. One senior player described the now-Leicester manager’s man-management as “excellent” while Casemiro is also reported to have “particularly appreciated” Van Nistelrooy.
Amorim’s “Professional” Approach
In contrast to Ten Hag, and more similar to Van Nistelrooy, Amorim is a much more jovial and affable figure in interviews. The 40-year-old’s grasp of English is better than the former Ajax manger and enables him to take a more light-hearted or more analytical approach, depending on the question, than his predecessor.
Similarly, the Portuguese coach is adored in Lisbon where he helped Sporting CP to win their first Primeira Liga title in 19 years in 2021. This was then followed up by another success in 2023, as well as three Taça da Liga wins in this period.
Amorim is a beloved figure in the Portuguese capital for the transformation of Sporting’s fortunes with the fanbase and playing squad reduced to tears when he departed for Manchester in November. It may be a surprise, therefore, that the player-turned-manager’s approach at Old Trafford has been a slightly more reserved and distant one with his new team, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Amorim has admitted becoming United’s head coach during the midst of a chaotic season has denied him crucial bonding time with his new players, partially explaining this distance.
“Sometimes, that detail is really important,” the 40-year-old explained last month. “Pre-season, creating, spending three weeks together, creating something, and then you want to create something new with the players.
“Even when you have the best players, if you don’t you have that feeling it’s really hard to win so I want to build something like that here. But we need time from that. I want them to know me in a different way, not always preparing the matches with stress, we don’t have the time to do that. I think it’s really important and I think it’s the secret of teams.”
However, the report by Manchester Evening News also contends Amorim is also deliberately maintaining a “professional distance” due to planned “squad upheaval this summer.” This means the Portuguese coach is not “getting attached to the majority of squad members.”
Two exceptions to this approach – as noted by other members of the dressing room – are Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, both Portuguese internationals and compatriots of their manager, who Amorim is “naturally closest” to.
The club’s scheduled pre-season tour of America for the third year running will offer the 40-year-old coach a far better environment and, crucially, time to bond with his squad. Whether the current cohort of players will all be in attendance for the US trip remains to be seen ahead of a busy transfer window this summer.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
