The final time Ruben Amorim visited Old Trafford with his old team, Braga, serves as a harsh reminder of the battle Manchester United has been lacking. Now that Erik ten Hag’s time in Manchester is coming to an end, the search for a replacement is over. Amorim has been named the club’s new manager after reaching an agreement earlier this week.
The club’s management is hoping the Portuguese coach will bring with him the work culture that has helped his Sporting team win two league titles and three domestic cups; the present team seems to have lacked this work ethic.
However, as demonstrated by Amorim’s return to Old Trafford during his playing days, United’s days of rolling over for opponents—best exemplified by their 3-0 losses to both Liverpool and Tottenham earlier this term—were not always the norm.
The journey to Manchester began better than most would have predicted, and the new United manager played for Braga in the 2012 Champions League. Alan, a seasoned Brazilian striker, gave Amorim and his team an unexpected 2-0 lead with two goals in 20 minutes. However, a comeback soon seemed imminent under Sir Alex Ferguson, as five minutes later Javier Hernandez cut the lead in half.
Jonny Evans, who still plays for the team, would not equalise until the 62nd minute, but 15 minutes before the end, “Chicharito” pulled off a valiant comeback. Rasmus Hojlund’s goal in the 82nd minute gave the Red Devils a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in a Boxing Day match in December 2023, the last occasion they overcame a two-goal deficit. However, in recent years, that hasn’t happened nearly as frequently.
Ten Hag’s recent remarks over their September loss to Tottenham encapsulated the club’s lack of faith. “We were down to 10 with a 1-0 losing position and then the red card was overturned, so I ignore that game against Spurs,” he startlingly acknowledged. We didn’t have the opportunity to recover, so such assessment is unfair. Everyone agreed that the choice was wrong, that it was unfair, and that judging the squad based on that performance was unfair as well. It’s hardly surprising that his players are sorely weak in that area if he didn’t believe they could fight back.
After seeing the potential of a fully-charged United team, there is a sense of expectation that Amorim will be able to get even more out of the team than Ten Hag was able to.