"Everyone is hungry for success and this club is where I want to go. I feel like I can become something special here, it's really exciting".
This is one of Ruben Amorim's most watched statements on his first day at Old Trafford. The Portuguese coach is compared to a former coach of the "Red Devils", that is Jose Mourinho. When he first came to English football in 2004, Mourinho was as enthusiastic and passionate as Amorim is now.
The new Red Devils captain shared that he likes the upcoming challenges at Man United in the context that the team has gone through 13 consecutive years of not being able to win the Premier League. When Amorim first arrived at Sporting, the Portuguese club had also gone through more than 19 years of not being able to win the Primeira Liga. After that, this young strategist helped the Jose Alvalade team win 2 domestic championships and many other titles.
Another difference between Amorim and Mourinho is the trust and desire to cooperate fully with the board. When answering the press conference at Old Trafford, Amorim said he wanted to work with the team's bosses and he was very excited about it. The 39-year-old strategist also wants to create something special with the leadership team in the coming years.
CEO Omar Berrada was a key figure in bringing Ruben Amorim to Old Trafford. Berrada was also the first to welcome Amorim when the new M.U captain arrived at Carrington.
One of the things Amorim is expected to do better than Mourinho at Old Trafford is to increase internal solidarity. Previously, Mourinho had a "black sheep" scandal with Paul Pogba and eventually had to leave Old Trafford. This time, Amorim does not want to repeat that mistake. Since Sir Alex retired, apart from Ole Solskajer, no official coach has created a unified relationship with the players in the dressing room. Typically, there are some cases that have caused scandals such as Mourinho or Ten Hag.
Amorim will approach the legacy left by Ten Hag slowly, rather than completely replacing or imposing somewhat rigid principles in the early stages. That is an approach that is considered suitable for a team with many "injured" stars like Man United.
"I would not say that the whole team needs time even though there are many young players in the squad at the moment. They are all equipped with the necessary skills to meet the requirements of playing for Manchester United. We will go in and not be afraid. The players will start with my ideas from the first day, that is the goal that needs to be implemented soon".
This is an affirmation of the use of the current young talents of Amorim's club. Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, Amad, Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund are young core players who are considered the club's main force in the coming time. Amorim accepts that there are high expectations for him despite having many stars in the hands who are still developing their talents but not really mature.
While working at Sporting, Amorim helped many young players reveal their talents such as Goncalo Inacio (23 years old) and Geovany Quenda (17 years old). With his proven Champions League level, Amorim is expected to help the "Red Devils" players gain more class to step into the European arena. This is in contrast to Jose Mourinho when the "Special One" does not like to use young players, he just wants to buy the contracts he wants to be able to use as quickly as possible according to the prescribed tactical diagrams.
