Ruben Amorim’s quit threat as Man Utd boss sticks to guns after horror start

Ruben Amorim nearly quit his first managerial role after a horror run that mirrored his start at Manchester United. Yet, while a bold change in formation ended up saving his career six years ago, the Portuguese will stick to his guns this time around.

The 39-year-old was appointed as Erik ten Hag’s successor in November, leaving behind his successful project at Sporting CP midway through the season. His short time at United has been fraught with difficulties as the decade-long nightmare at Old Trafford shows no signs of letting up.

Amorim recently admitted his task as United’s head coach is “more complicated” than he initially thought, having suffered five losses this month alone, including three consecutive defeats since their derby victory over Manchester City.

Despite these difficulties, Red Devils chiefs are expected to be patient with the young tactician as he remains committed to implementing his 3-4-2-1 formation, which has shown early signs of promise but is far from the well-oiled machine that became his trademark in Portugal.

This isn’t the first time Amorim has faced such adversity, either. In 2018, he took charge of then-third-tier Portuguese side Casa Pia and threatened to resign after a poor start. However, a switch to his now-favoured back-three formation turned his fortunes around.

European football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Sport: “His coaching career actually began with Casa Pia, then a third-tier club, where it almost ended as soon as it had begun.

“He lost his first two games and, with his pride hurt and doubts setting in, he announced if he lost the third game he would quit. In the next match he changed the system and played a back three for the first time.

“The system worked and from then on he remained unbeaten at the club. He also felt he had found the formation that allowed him to produce the football he wanted – one invariably linked to the spectacle for the fans. From there, he never looked back as he went to Braga and then Sporting.”

His innovative approach led Sporting to their first league title in nearly two decades in 2021, followed by another title win last season. It is, therefore, unlikely that he will deviate from his footballing philosophy, no matter how difficult things get at United.

Much has been said about the less common formation, which differs vastly from the 4-2-3-1 United fans became accustomed to under Ten Hag. And while Amorim faces a great challenge in turning things around, he remains steadfast in his beliefs, saying after the 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Boxing Day: “The focus is to maintain our clear identity. We lost something in the last week. We have to be better.”

After United’s latest defeat, Amorim hit back at a reporter who compared his record to new Wolves boss Vito Pereira’s, who has enjoyed instant success since taking over from Gary O’Neil this month with two victories.

The journalist probed Amorim by saying: “I know you said you don’t know how long it will take but Wolves have just had a new manager in for a week with a new system – with your players, what do you think is missing?”

Amorim sharply responded: “New system? Wolves are playing a new system? They play the same system. Vitor Pereira worked the same system in Saudi Arabia. It was the same system, the same position. This squad was built for that system.”

The upcoming fixture list will not fill United fans with much confidence as they are set to host Newcastle on Monday. That will be followed by tough away games at Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League and the FA Cup, respectively.