Will Man United players adapt to Amorim?
Interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has helped stabilize Man United with 3 wins and 1 draw in 4 matches he is in charge of. The Portuguese tactician is expected to continue that development in the opening match against Ipswich Town on 24 November.
Van Nistelrooy provided Amorim with a pretty good squad in his final match in charge. The Dutch tactician has brought Bruno Fernandes back to the center, using Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford on the wing with Rasmus Hojlund playing as a striker. Amorim is unlikely to break the team's midfield axis with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, who have made a strong impression when playing together.
In the long term, Amorim's biggest challenge is likely to be how to deploy the huge number of wingers in his current squad. Antony, who was bought for £86 million, is currently the fifth choice in his position.
Rashford may have to adapt to his playing style to play more as a second striker, as he has done before in his career. Meanwhile, Alejandro Garnacho faces limited playing time if he fails to adapt to Amorim's preferred 3-4-3 system, whether as one of the three forwards or even a full-back.
How much time does Amorim need?
Amorim inherited Man United, who are 13th in the Premier League, have lost four of their 11 games since the start of the season and are struggling in the Europa League. It is difficult to say how long it will take for the team to return strongly to challenge for the title.
Sky Sports has given the case of some of England's top teams, including Liverpool.
When Jurgen Klopp took over Liverpool in October 2015, The Reds were 10th in the Premier League, having won just four of their 11 games in all competitions under Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers led Liverpool to second place in the Premier League in 2013-14, but that team needed a refresh.
In Klopp's first game against Tottenham, only Divock Origi and James Milner - two versatile players at the time - were part of the 2019-2020 championship squad. Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson were both absent from the White Hart Lane game, but both have become a part of Klopp's Liverpool side.
Joel Matip, Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane arrived in the following season, along with Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah throughout the 2017-2019 season. Fabinho and Alisson were later seen as the final missing pieces of the collection with Trent Alexander-Arnold emerging from the academy.
Liverpool have finally ended a 30-year wait for the English football championship. Klopp spent about eight transfer windows shaping the team in his image with an astonishing net spending of £68.7 million during that time.
Returning to Man United, the team under Erik ten Hag was accused of lacking its own identity. Ruben Amorim must change that and build a clear identity for the Old Trafford team, with an attack style of play as the main focus.
Sporting Lisbon has done something similar, but whether this Man United squad can do the same in his favorite 3-4-3 formation or not remains to be seen.
Man United's biggest weakness this season has been their ability to score. By the time Ten Hag was sacked after nine league games, only Southampton and Crystal Palace had scored fewer Premier League goals than them. Helping the players become sharper in front of the opponent's goal is something Amorim urgently has to do.
Old Trafford has been doily covered in a gloomy atmosphere since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, largely targeting the club's owners, the Glazer family.
Although Louis van Gaal won the FA Cup and Jose Mourinho had short-lived success, troubles never seem to be far away from the team. Ten Hag has added to Man United's trophy cabinet, with victories in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but his poor form in the Premier League has angered fans.
For Amorim, changing the atmosphere at the club under Ineos and getting everyone on the same page, as well as how he handles problems in the first transfer window will shape the style of his entire tenure.
