Ruben Amorim left Braga in 2020 and moved to lead Sporting. Here, the 39-year-old strategist helped Sporting end their title drought with 2 Portuguese national championships.
Often favouring a back three with full-backs pushing forward, Amorim's teams are a joy to watch. Playing out from the back and constantly switching positions, Sporting are incredibly versatile and one of the most dynamic teams in Portugal without the ball.
Amorim was considered by Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and West Ham for their vacant managerial positions last season. However, the tactician committed his future to Sporting. Now that Amorim has chosen to test himself in the Premier League, what can Man United expect?
Although it has been proven time and time again that appointing a young coach is no guarantee for Man United, there are many signs that this is an interesting decision for a club in serious decline like the "Red Devils".
The obvious question is whether Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation is a quick fix to produce short-term results for United. While United don’t have many quality centre-backs, the options are good with Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans.
The United stars who could suffer the most are classic wingers like Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo. Of course, Amorim has used similar types of players to great effect in the past, with the requirement that they adapt. Meanwhile, the likes of Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Noussair Mazraoui could thrive in more of a full-back role.
Whether Amorim can motivate United’s centre-forwards (Joshua Zirkzee, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund) is another question, but it is certain that the 39-year-old will have plenty of time to work on this.
In the No. 10 role, Amorim has a number of options at Old Trafford such as Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen. Behind them will be Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo.
Besides, a Portuguese coach with a positive mindset like Amorim can also help Casemiro and Antony to maximize their abilities.
Perhaps Amorim’s immediate challenge is to inject positivity and new energy into a club that has been mired in crisis for so long. Despite the patience of United fans, Amorim knows the team needs an immediate boost.
In short, "Red Devils" fans have reason to hope for Amorim and in fact, that is the only thing they can do at this time.
