Manchester United will be hoping that Ruben Amorim can continue his track record when it comes to strikers.
Amorim’s first taste of experiencing life as a manager in the Premier League will be this weekend when United travel to face Ipswich Town. Amorim was appointed as Erik ten Hag’s successor in the Old Trafford dugout earlier this month and has officially begun taking charge of training at United.
Monday was Amorim’s first day taking charge of training at Carrington as he began his career as United’s new head coach. As the international break nears its conclusion, more members of the United squad will return to Manchester after featuring for their respective national teams.
Amorim arrives at United after spending four years at Sporting, winning the league title in Portugal last season for the first time in 19 years. A player who played a major role in that title triumph was Viktor Gyokeres.
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The Sweden international scored 43 goals in all competitions last term for Sporting, with 29 coming in the league. Before starting in Portugal, Gyokeres was at Coventry City and has now become one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe after 18 months under the guidance of Amorim.
United will be hoping that Amorim can have a similar effect on their striker options. Rasmus Hojlund has scored just two goals so far this season in his second year at Old Trafford following his £72million move from Atalanta in 2023.
Hojlund was signed to a be a player for the future as well as the present for United. While there will be no immediate concerns about the goalscoring output for the Denmark international, United will hope that Amorim’s track record of turning Gyokeres into one of Europe’s most in-form strikers will continue with Hojlund.
As is the case with any new manager arriving at a club, Amorim will hope to lean on some of the most experienced players in the squad to help make the transition for the new regime much more seamless. Bruno Fernandes, as club captain, will be tasked with ensuring Amorim’s message transits easily to the squad, and could as a result help ensure Hojlund reaches the potential United saw when they signed him 18 months ago.
