“He has no control”: Former United assistant manager speaks out on Amorim’s difficult start at Old Trafford

Former Manchester United assistant manager Mitchell van der Gaag has backed current head coach Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese took over the job in November and has guided the Red Devils to a Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Nonetheless, the side’s league has been nothing short of horrendous and they find themselves 16th in the table with just two fixtures of the season remaining.

Van der Gaag joined the club alongside Erik ten Hag in 2022 and helped the team win the Carabao and FA Cups in consecutive seasons.

He left last summer however, citing an interest in taking up a head coaching role somewhere else in the future.

In an interview with Portuguese newspaper, A Bola, Van der Gaag expressed his sympathy with the situation that Amorim finds himself in.

The Dutchman did explain that the United head coach needed to start winning soon as he asserted, “a coach always needs victories to transmit his ideas and for the players to believe in him.”

Nonetheless he claimed that Amorim’s arrival in November was far from ideal and especially at a club like United, which is in such a state of flux at the moment.

He stated, “arriving in the middle of the season is always difficult, and more so with the change that is happening in the structure: training centre, stadium, and there are people who cannot stay at the club and will be fired. There is a lot around the club.”

“Then a coach arrives who is top here in Portugal, but he is faced with this reality. He has no control over it and needs to work. It’s not easy and I really hope you have time to change.”

In regards to his own future, the former Ajax man insists he is ready for a new challenge after some time out of the game.

When asked about a return he asserted, “that’s my goal and I hope something will come up in the summer.”

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