Ruben Amorim breezed into Carrington around 2.30pm on Monday and immediately got to work as Manchester United’s new head coach. The place might be quiet during the first week of an international break, but Amorim knows there is little time to waste.
His first game is on Sunday, November 24, but the non-internationals were in yesterday to meet their new boss before getting a few days off for the rest of the week. Amorim will be settling into his new surroundings, and work on the training pitches will only really hit top gear next week.
He takes over a club that has enjoyed a buoyant couple of weeks since the dismissal of Erik ten Hag, but 13th in the Premier League and 15th in the Europa League still speaks volumes as to where this side is at.
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It’s been a difficult period for United, on and off the pitch. Although this promises to be a quiet week, there is still plenty for Amorim to do before the real action begins.
Find his wing-backs
In his final press conference as Sporting CP boss, Amorim suggested that his favoured back three formation would be making the journey with him to Manchester. Now he has to find the players to make it work.
United’s squad seems to have most bases covered, at least in quantity, if not quality. The real intrigue lies in who Amorim selects at wingback.
So far this season, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have occupied those full-back slots, with one of them playing out of position on the left. Given how Amorim likes his wing-backs to offer the width in his system, that seems unlikely to continue.
One of those two might get the gig on the right. On the left, Amorim will be waiting for Luke Shaw or Tyrell Malacia to return to fitness. He could experiment with Amad or Antony at wing-back.
Rebuild his goalscorers
Where will the goals come from? That has been a question surrounding United all season, and it will continue if Amorim’s system means the removal of at least one winger.
At Sporting, he has relied on the deadly Victor Gyokeres, and has had a positive impact on the Swede. He needs to build the confidence of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in the No. 9 role if they are to follow suit.
Amorim also needs to find a way to get one of Alejandro Garnacho, or Marcus Rashford involved, and he needs to get the confidence flowing in both of them again as well.
Assess injury issues
Injuries are beginning to ease at the right time for Amorim, but they have a thorn in the side for United since the start of last season. He needs to get to the bottom of why they are happening, whether it is purely down to misfortune or is it to do with workloads.
He had been expected to bring a fitness coach from Sporting with him, but that has yet to happen. For now, he must work with the current medical team to develop a more robust squad.
Lift the mood
Amorim is a people person. At Sporting, he took people with him on a journey, not just the players and the supporters but those working behind the scenes as well.
He needs to quickly engage United’s workforce to get them behind him as well. Staff morale at the club has taken a battering this year, with 250 employees made redundant and cuts made throughout the building to try to reduce costs.
Most of the staff are United fans, and their mood would be lifted if they weren’t seeing hardworking colleagues and friends lose their jobs while mediocrity reigns on the pitch. If Amorim can build some momentum, he will quickly lift spirits as well.
