Some players felt that manager Ruben Amorim’s claim that he was overseeing “maybe the worst team in the history of Manchester United” was “a major step too far”, it has been revealed.
However, some amongst that same squad feel the Portuguese is “an excellent leader”, according to a deep-dive analysis of United’s disastrous season conducted by The Athletic.
The reliable Laurie Whitwell explored the relationship between player and manager and paints a broadly positive picture of a squad comfortable with the 40-year-old’s methods.
He finds that while the players, who must certainly shoulder a considerable amount of blame for United’s dismal 15th-place Premier League finish, have been read the riot act (doubtless on more than one occasion), they ultimately “have become used to his stinging honesty.”
After all, Amorim is remarkably willing to place himself in the firing line, so it is not unreasonable to expect those he manages to be equally capable of taking criticism.
To dispel the notion that the notorious pictures of the manager watching training from 100 yards away demonstrates a coach sick of his own men, Whitwell points out that this was also a feature of his time at Sporting.
His charges in Lisbon were utterly dedicated to his approach and became accustomed to winning trophies as well as matches, and the signs are there that the Portuguese is an effective man-manager.
In what he describes as Amorim’s “human touch” Whitwell notes that his generosity in giving time to fans and paying for staff tickets to the Europa League final, and his diligence in working 14-hour days at Carrington, are very warmly received and indicative of a popular figure both within the playing squad and without.
But fundamentally he is paid the big bucks to get results on the pitch, and while they have been diabolical since his mid-season arrival there are some positive signs.
Whitwell explains that Amorim “can also inspire players” and adds that “several [feel] he is an excellent leader.”
His work with Casemiro, a busted flush for much of the season, is a case in point; there’s no denying that at one point he seemed “surplus to requirements” and didn’t start a game for six weeks.
But close collaboration with Amorim worked wonders and gave the 33-year-old a miniature rebirth which saw him become a central figure in United’s progress to the Europa League final.
The pair “solidified their bond” in a one-on-one meeting, which shows that with the right attitude Amorim can be an invaluable mentor even to the highest calibre of player.
Whether Casemiro stays or goes this summer remains to be seen but his resurgence, directly attributable to the frowning man in the Old Trafford home dugout, is concrete proof that hard work pays dividends as far as Amorim is concerned.
Featured image Clive Brunskill via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
