Manchester United have pinned their hopes on Ruben Amorim to lift them out of the doldrums.
The Red Devils quickly moved for Amorim following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, who paid the price after United made their worst start to a Premier League season.
Amorim, 39, was one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe and had been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Juventus and Bayern Munich. He won two league titles with Sporting in his native Portugal, ending the dominance of Porto and Lisbon rivals Benfica, who he played for.
Amorim spent time in Belfast while completing his UEFA coaching qualifications. He is a fluent English speaker and has a talent for unearthing hidden talents, such as former Coventry striker Viktor Gyokeres, who has already scored over 20 goals this season including a hat-trick in a shock 4-1 Champions League win over Manchester City.
That win over Pep Guardiola’s men was the perfect farewell for Amorim and Sporting, and the pair will lock horns again on December 15 when Manchester United travel across the city to face the Premier League champions.
That is one of nine games for United this month and Amorim knows he must hit the ground running. His favoured formation is 3-4-3, but that could take the United players some time to get used to after they mostly played 4-2-3-1 under Ten Hag.
Perhaps Amorim’s biggest challenge is improving United’s form in front of goal. They are averaging just over one goal per game in the Premier League. In Rasmus Hojlund (pictured below) United have a striker who possesses similar strengths to Gyokeres. Amorim must try to improve the service to the Denmark international frontman and hope he can find the net with more regularity.
What do you think?
After over a decade of Manchester United mediocrity, is Amorim the answer? Let us know your thoughts in teh comment box below.