All to know about Man Utd’s manager Ruben Amorim before first EPL match

Manchester United’s caller manager Ruben Amorim takes complaint of his archetypal crippled connected Sunday erstwhile helium leads his broadside to Ipswich Town successful the Premier League.

The 39-year-old Portuguese manager and erstwhile subordinate was announced arsenic Erik 10 Hag’s replacement astatine the helm of the fallen giants this month.

Al Jazeera takes a look astatine 5 things you request to cognize astir Amorim earlier his debut:

1. The caller ‘Special One’?

The latest Portuguese managing sensation to beryllium dubbed “the caller Mourinho” – aft erstwhile Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho – Amorim arrives with rather the estimation arsenic a manager adjacent successful his fledgling career. 

Amorim established himself arsenic 1 of the astir sought-after young coaches successful satellite shot astatine Sporting Lisbon, but his situation successful Manchester is of a antithetic magnitude.

The coach, who won 2 league titles astatine Sporting, follows the way from Portugal to the Premier League taken a procreation agone by Mourinho, past the shining young managerial star, who swapped Porto for Chelsea portion naming himself the “Special One”. Amorim will, however, beryllium expected to bash thing that adjacent Mourinho did not negociate during his consequent stint astatine United – triumph the club’s archetypal Premier League rubric since the trophy-filled days of Alex Ferguson ended successful 2013.

Amorim has described Mourinho arsenic a relation model. He spent a abbreviated internship with his compatriot erstwhile Mourinho was managing United from 2016 to 2018. He arrives astatine Old Trafford 2 years younger than Mourinho was erstwhile helium took implicit a Chelsea broadside that won 2 Premier League titles successful his archetypal 2 seasons astatine the helm.

Other coaches person travel from Portugal with large reputations, but not each person succeeded. Andre Villas-Boas failed to unrecorded up to expectations aft swapping Porto for Chelsea successful 2011. He excessively was burdened with the aforesaid nickname arsenic Mourinho gave himself.

But everything astir Amorim, who was besides linked to the manager’s occupation astatine Liverpool this year, suggests helium could beryllium thing special.

Ruben Amorim, left, led Sporting Lisbon against Jose Mourinho’s Roma successful a preseason affable successful 2022 [Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images]

2. The Amorim effect arsenic a manager

Amorim started his managerial vocation successful 2018 with a abbreviated stint astatine the Lisbon nine Casa Pia, past successful the Portuguese 3rd tier. He was appointed reserve squad manager astatine Braga the pursuing twelvemonth and conscionable 3 months aboriginal was promoted to archetypal squad boss.

Eye-catching occurrence astatine the top-flight club, including a daze League Cup last triumph implicit Porto, was capable to person Sporting to wage his merchandise clause successful 2020, and helium delivered immediately, starring the Lisbon nine to their archetypal Primeira Liga rubric successful 19 years successful his archetypal afloat play with the nonaccomplishment of conscionable 1 game. He besides won the League Cup, defeating his erstwhile nine Braga successful the final.

The nine reached the Champions League past 16 the pursuing play and the Europa League quarterfinals successful the 2022-2023 campaign. He won a 2nd Portuguese rubric past play to further burnish his reputation.

He leaves Sporting sitting apical of the league and 2nd successful the Champions League aft thumping Manchester City 4-1 successful Amorim’s past location crippled arsenic coach.

A melodramatic fightback from 2 goals down, reminiscent of the United of old, was staged successful his last Primeira Liga lucifer arsenic a 4-2 triumph was secured astatine Braga – maintaining Sporting’s 100 percent grounds for the season.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, right, congratulates Ruben Amorim of Sporting aft the Champions League lucifer connected November 5, 2024 [Eric Verhoeven/Getty Images]

3. Amorim’s travel arsenic a player

Born successful Lisbon, Amorim was a hard-working midfielder who spent the bulk of his playing vocation astatine Benfica, wherever helium won a home treble successful 2013-2014.

He won 14 caps for Portugal, appearing astatine 2 World Cups, but ended his playing days astatine the property of 32 aft a indebtedness spell successful Qatar with Al-Wakrah.

He besides enjoyed a indebtedness spell with Braga during his formative years astatine Benfica, who helium joined successful 2009 and would spell connected to triumph 3 league titles with.

The pinnacle of his playing career, having been a Portuguese younker planetary astatine each property levels from under-18s successful 2003, was undoubtedly his appearances astatine the World Cups successful South Africa successful 2010 and 2014.

Although mostly a squad subordinate for his planetary career, which spanned much than 5 years, Amorim gained important acquisition arsenic portion of the set-up – and lined up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo passim his ain Portugal days. But much connected that successful a moment.

Ruben Amorim, sixth from left, lines up with Cristiano Ronaldo, right, astatine the 2014 World Cup [Marius Becker/picture confederation via Getty Images]

4. Amorim volition bash it his mode – starting with 3 astatine the back

The Portuguese manager indispensable deed the crushed moving with United struggling successful the English apical formation aft conscionable 3 wins successful their opening 9 games this play and sitting 14th successful the table.

United spent astir 757 cardinal pounds ($955m) connected caller players for 10 Hag, who led them to 1 FA Cup and 1 League Cup. These are luxuries that Amorim volition not bask successful the abbreviated word arsenic January’s transportation model volition travel excessively soon for the caller manager to seal immoderate sizeable signings. Few hap midseason anyway.

Instead, it volition beryllium Amorim’s attack connected the tract that volition beryllium of astir interest. There is small concealed that helium prefers a three-man defence with 2 wingbacks, 2 cardinal midfielders and past 2 forwards supporting the striker.

United’s existent squad constitution does not thin towards these positions, peculiarly successful attack, wherever wingers person been the bid of the time for United since the days of George Best done to Ronaldo.

One subordinate that whitethorn bask a revival nether Amorim, though, is his erstwhile teammate astatine Benfica, Victor Lindelof. (The brace besides played alongside erstwhile United midfielder Nemanja Matic successful that time.) The Swedish defender has failed to nail down a starting presumption successful his clip astatine Old Trafford but favours playing arsenic portion of a backmost three.

Whether this volition beryllium the attack from the disconnected astatine Portman Road connected Sunday remains to beryllium seen – arsenic does however the likes of assemblage favourites connected the flanks, including Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo, volition acceptable into the caller manager’s style.

Whatever happens, a immense situation lies successful hold astatine a nine that has underperformed nether aggregate managers, but if Amorim succeeds, helium volition assistance himself onto a antithetic level – and helium volition undoubtedly person done it his way.

An representation of caller Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is seen connected the screen of a instrumentality mag extracurricular Old Trafford [Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters]

5. Amorim is lone 1 week older than United fable Cristiano Ronaldo

One of the top challenges, arsenic everyone agrees, is that Amorim indispensable larn connected the job.

Born connected January 27, 1985, the United manager is lone a week older than Ronaldo, who is inactive going beardown arsenic a subordinate for nine and country.

Indeed, Amorim is lone 2 years (and 3 weeks) older than Jonny Evans, who has been playing a pivotal relation successful cardinal defence since his instrumentality to United past season. It volition beryllium his elder players that Amorim volition trust connected astir heavy and successful peculiar his 3 30-plus cardinal midfielders: Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.

It was Amorim’s ain presumption connected the park, and it is determination that his chap countryman and nine skipper Fernandes has been United’s shining airy successful caller years. The mercurial midfielder is inactive joined successful the Portugal starting lineup by Ronaldo, who has called for a bottom-up rebuild of his erstwhile club.

It whitethorn beryllium with the hands of Ronaldo’s chap Portuguese pairing that the foundations of betterment are laid.

Portugal’s Ruben Amorim, left, and Cristiano Ronaldo, centre, assistance Helder Postiga observe his extremity against Azerbaijan during their 2014 World Cup qualifying lucifer [Miguel Vidal/Reuters]