Ruben Amorim is Exactly What United Needs

As a fan, sometimes all you have to ask yourself is this: would I play for this coach? Would I give 100% day in and day out? I can only speak for myself, but my answer is a resounding YES and I know I’m not alone on this.

Amorim seems to strike the right balance on everything: he’s a lot more openly ambitious and optimistic than his predecessors, with his feet firmly on the ground. He takes a long term view of the team’s progress, but expects the players to compete in the here and now. You can tell by the way he calls Rashford “Rash” that he cares about his players, but demands a lot more than they’re used to.

He also hasn’t tried to assert himself the way Ten Hag has: you just don’t get the sense he’s trying to make a big statement, or show the stars who’s boss. Leaving Garnacho and Rashford out of the squad felt nothing like the ETG-Ronaldo mess we were in for, with all the tittle tattle that went along with it. So far Amorim is a straight shooter and he’s telling a story I can believe.

How about handling the press? Amorim is all about his vision, what he refers to as his “new idea”. He’s all football and tactics and the rest is just noise to him. He comes off as confident but never arrogant (with just enough flair to throw in Fergie in the conversation once in a while). So he’s comfortable in the limelight but doesn’t seek to make headlines (you know who I’m referring to).

As for appearances on the pitch, he just looks like a fan. He lives and breathes every minute of the game and it shows. That may not be a requirement normally, but for a club that’s been lost for a decade it’s exactly what United needs. He’s no Diego Simeone by any means (who is?), but the fire is there and the fans can feel it.

Results so far have been mixed, but that’s probably a good thing. The kind of dream start OGS had was never sustainable, which then led to bitter disappointment. Amorim’s reaction to the first seven games was the right one; staying calm either way, not getting too excited with the derby win, and reminding us it’s “only three points”.

In Amorim, United has a coach who loves the club like a fan, is free of the kind of pressures Mourinho and Van Gaal were under, and genuinely believes he is “the right guy at the right time”. Whatever happens next, at least for now, Manchester is red.