Man Utd, Amorim ‘tailor-made’ for one reason after he dealt with ‘identical situation’ at Sporting
Incoming Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been told that the “project” at Old Trafford is “tailor-made” for the talented head coach.
The Red Devils sacked former boss Erik ten Hag at the start of this week. His last game in charge was Sunday’s disappointing 2-1 loss at West Ham.
It quickly became clear that Amorim was Man Utd’s leading candidate to replace Ten Hag and he was appointed on Friday afternoon.
Amorim will not be in the dugout for this weekend’s game against Chelsea, but his start date has been announced.
The 39-year-old has been Sporting Lisbon’s boss since 2020 and he’s helped them win the Primeira Liga twice. Before his arrival, their last league title win was in 2001/02.
Amorim was heavily linked with Liverpool and West Ham United, but Man Utd moved quickly to acquire Amorim amid reported interest from arch-rivals Man City.
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He is regarded as one of the best young managers in the world, but he has a tough job on his hands at Old Trafford.
However, Carlos Pires – who appointed Amorim in 2020 – says the inexperienced boss has had a “meteoric rise”. He’s been backed to impress at Old Trafford as Man Utd are “in an identical situation” to the one facing him when he arrived at Sporting Lisbon.
“If I saw that he was different, yes, that was obvious,” Pires said.
“Now that, less than seven years later, he would be at Manchester United, I don’t think anyone could imagine it happening that quickly. It’s been a meteoric rise.
“If you ask me if the first time, I sat down with him I thought he would be special, I confess that I did. It’s a lot of credit to him. Nobody gave him anything.”
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Pires added: “I see Manchester United a little like I saw Sporting at the time. At the time, many people would have thought that Sporting would be a coaches’ cemetery, because it had been like that in recent years. United, at a different level, is in an identical situation.
“I think that, above all, it is good for Manchester United too because it seems to me that it is a tailor-made project for Rúben. It has everything to work out. It’s a risk, it’s always a risk, but Rúben also likes the risk. It seems to me to be a project that suits him.”
Amorim has three more games as Sporting Lisbon boss. His first is at home against Estrela da Amadora in the Primeira Liga on Friday night.
Next week, Amorim’s side welcomes Manchester City in the Champions League group game on Tuesday before his farewell match at Braga on Sunday.
