New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim takes over for Erik ten Hag with a great deal of optimism, as he established himself as one of the best young coaches in world football during his time at Sporting CP.
But expectations are higher at Old Trafford than in Lisbon and the competition is stiffer in the Premier League, with Amorim already behind the eight ball, having inherited a listless Manchester United side that sits in the bottom half of the league table.
However, United’s struggles can be construed as a blessing for the Portuguese manager, because Amorim has lower expectations and a clean slate to turn the Red Devils into true killers with whatever system he desires.
It won’t be easy, but Amorim has all the tools to be the guy to finally turn Manchester United back into an English juggernaut. Here are his three biggest tasks as he gets started after the international fixtures with a tune-up match against Ipswich Town.
Find some semblance of a midfield
There were so many issues with Erik ten Hag’s coaching at Manchester United, but the most obvious was the fact that the Red Devils had no real identity nor any legitimate patterns of play.
This issue was especially pronounced in the middle of the park, where Manchester United have been repeatedly overrun, even after signing Manuel Ugarte to go with one of English football’s finest young talents, Kobbie Mainoo.
Whatever system Ruben Amorim goes with, whether he plays four or five in midfield, he’s going to have to get Manchester United to actually have a midfield going forward.
Manchester United can’t keep going into games with a massive gap in the middle of the pitch, hoofing the ball aimlessly to the forwards and begging Bruno Fernandes to conjure magic as the only real tactic.
The defense, no matter how good the personnel are, will inevitably be exposed if the men in the middle of the park aren’t given proper instructions on blocking passing lanes or containing, which, in turn, leaves the forwards without any organizational support.
Actually take the initiative in matches
It’s remarkable how little initiative Manchester United took under Ten Hag over the last couple of seasons, even against opponents you’d normally expect the Red Devils to wipe off the pitch.
Too often, Manchester United were passive and reactive, playing with the more expensive and touted players yet all too content to absorb pressure or allow opponents to dictate space off the ball.
Therefore, Manchester United were either overwhelmed by another team’s possession or unable to effectively counter without the ball, whereas their opponents controlled both time and space.
Ruben Amorim needs to make sure Manchester United are constantly playing on the front foot and taking it to their opponents, even if it is scary and leaves them vulnerable against the league’s best sides like Arsenal and Liverpool.
Look, the “safe” approach hasn’t helped Manchester United anyway, and if they are going to lose, they need to at least lose with dignity and in a way that gives their young players the experience of performing one-on-ones or building up patterns of attacking play against the very best teams they aim to beat in the league table one day.
Revive Marcus Rashford
If there’s any one individual player whom Amorim needs to support the most, then it is Marcus Rashford. It is vital to impress the point that Rashford is Man United’s most talented player, and even under Ten Hag, he showed glimpses of his superstar talent with 17 goals and 1.5 dribbles completed per game in an excellent 2022/23 season on the left wing.
Rashford, unfortunately, has been terrible again this season, eschewed under Ten Hag for a second season now, relegated to a supportive role as an auxillary playmaker next to new faces Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
Amorim needs all three of these guys in order to succeed this season at Manchester United, and since Rashford is the only one with two 17-goal seasons in the Premier League, the England international has to be the guy Amorim shows the most faith in.
Rashford is at his best when he is in a positive, supportive environment and feels like the coach and the team have his back. Amorim has to be the one to step up as a leader and foster that environment right off the bat.
Because at this stage, with Manchester United buried in the bottom half of the table after Ten Hag’s management, the only way back to European football in 2025/26 is for the United No. 10 to have a big second half of the season under Amorim.
