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Ruben Amorim disappeared and Manchester United Back to the sea of uncertainty. Solving the 13-year problem – looking for a guiding figure after Jazz Alex Ferguson – is still as far away as ever.
Amorim arrives at Old Trafford to great fanfare After a brilliant reign at Sporting Lisbon. he was courted liverpool He was a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp before they landed Arne Slott at the top level. So when the Portuguese signed on the dotted line with the Red Devils in November 2024, there was hope that the then 39-year-old – a spring chicken in managerial terms – would be United’s future.
Instead, his 14 months of misguided rule left him with an enviable legacy: The club’s worst permanent manager in the Premier League era. Overhyped and unable to recover from the dereliction left by Erik ten Hag, once the dominant force in English football fell into new hands, there was the daunting task of stabilizing the situation.
The club will take some time to select a successor as they lean towards a summer appointment, independent Understanding Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner leadership The shortlist also includes Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna and recently departed Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
The Austrian’s ability to adapt has been key to his and Crystal Palace’s rise, transforming the Eagles into one of the toughest teams England have faced, not to mention the excitement of lifting a first major trophy in the FA Cup last season. While he does command a back three from the back – a system that was criticized under Amorim – that willingness to change will be a must for anyone coming into Carrington.
Amorim’s ’emotional and inconsistent behavior’ This is believed to be one of the reasons that prompted his sacking – something that was reflected in a rant after United’s draw with Leeds United at the weekend. Media scrutiny of his failed 3-4-2-1 ideology has long been ongoing and when asked about his formation choices during a meeting with Omar Berada and Jason Wilcox on the Friday ahead of the trip to Elland Road, the two United chieftains were clearly unimpressed by Amorim’s answer.
Amorim was never willing to abandon his strategic baby of three at the back and remained loyal to the system despite the obvious alternatives. That meant he shoehorned his best players, including captain Bruno Fernandes, into positions that didn’t suit them. There’s an argument to be made that he simply won’t get the best out of him in a 3-4-2-1 with homegrown stars Kobe Minu This is advantageous for players who are not exactly guaranteed to be indispensable.
Systemic changes will be a priority for any new manager at Old Trafford. It will certainly take a period of trial and error for this misshapen lineup, which could cause them to drop from their current heights of sixth in the standings. But the right reset will pay off more in the long run than the current approach, which requires adhering to a philosophy of failure.
Any new system should cater to the current player pool, allowing the best players to play in the best positions. This is an obvious principle, but Amorim seems to refuse to accept it. Fernandes shouldn’t be stuck at the back, Amad Diallo shouldn’t be at full-back and Luke Shaw shouldn’t be squeezed into a back three when fit.
The promotion of youth academy graduates also needs new impetus, and 20-year-old Mainoo is the obvious name to reintegrate into the starting lineup.
Mainu came to prominence as a teenager and went on to be named in England’s Euro 2024 squad, but has lacked game time under Amorim. However, he remains the club’s most exciting homegrown starlet as the Portuguese has been reluctant to offer significant game time to any young player, let alone Mainu, during his more than a year in charge. Instead, Amorim has opted for stagnant giants from the past, such as Casemiro, 33, and favorites from past jobs, while the often underperforming Manuel Ugarte first made a name for himself under his tutelage at Sporting Lisbon. Coupled with the huge transfer expenditure, it further hinders the way out for young players.
A successful rebuild requires greater care in developing their top academy stars into first-team world powerhouses – something Interim boss Darren Fletcher There will certainly be attention, with 19-year-old twin sons Jack and Tyler both vying for their own senior breaks.
While Mainu looks set to be one of the big winners from Amorim’s departure, his half-brother’s recent behavior highlights a glaring issue that still needs to be addressed within the dressing room, one that has not been adequately addressed by any manager in the post-Ferguson era.
When Jordan Mainoo-Hames love island After rising to fame, he turned up at Old Trafford wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words “Free Kobbie Mainoo”, an embarrassing act of public defiance of the family that did little to win back support for his brother. Whether Mainu himself approves of the stunt or not, the latest spate of expletives shows that the tide on United’s toxic internal culture is far from being reversed.
United’s mess on the pitch needs to be cleaned up, but if the new manager can’t finally bring the players and personalities together behind the scenes, the club’s long-term revival will remain a pipe dream.