Ruben Amorim had introduced a third ban at Manchester United as the Portuguese boss lays down the law to realise his “mad dogs” aim at Old Trafford.
Rasmus Hojlund’s brace on Thursday ensured United’s third win under Amorim, which added to two defeats and a draw makes for a mixed bag for Erik ten Hag’s successor.
He clearly has a big job on his hands with rumours rife over the futures of senior stars ahead of a January transfer window in which his first signing appears to be all but secured but further additions will likely rely on outgoings with the club at risk of breaching profit and sustainability regulations.
Amorim will in the main have to make do with what he’s got and has brought in several non-negotiables to improve the United dynamics.
The first major change he made was banning his coaches from giving complicated instructions to players, believing a particular tactic or idea should be able to be communicated in a single sentence.
It’s thought the players have responded well during a period of significant change, with the players struck by the “clarity” of the messages as the team’s formation has shifted to a 3-4-3 – something many of the players had never experienced before.
He also quickly moved to stop players jetting off on holiday during the season after the media piled on Marcus Rashford and Casemiro for flying to the United States in an international break.
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Red Devils legend Gary Neville was particularly vocal in his admonishment of the pair and asked Amorim for his thoughts on the situation after he got his foot through the door at Carrington.
He said: “Would I set a different structure? Yes, for sure. But we cannot put this on the players. They told them they have five days off so they can fly anywhere. Because nobody in the club says you cannot fly. So we cannot, this time, put that on Rash or Case.”
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Amorim said about the changes he will implement: “We as a club have to set the standards and manage that. It’s my decision if they can have five days, or three days, or three days to rest and you cannot fly. This is something that us as a club have to decide. So this must be started in the club, with us and me being responsible in that area.”
And now, ESPN report ahead of the Manchester Derby on Sunday that Amorim has implemented a third non-negotiable: banning food in the dressing room.
This comes after Amorim spoke of the importance of his team being in peak physical condition to “run like mad dogs” and compete with the very best in the Premier League .
“You can do a starting line-up with the best players on the planet, without running they also won’t win,” he said. “We have to run like mad dogs, if not we won’t win.”
