Alas, there is not a recent instance where Manchester United has outbid Manchester City to recruit a Portuguese player in his thirties, resulting in a costly mess. Rúben Amorim, the current manager for Sporting, had been rumoured to join City next summer should Pep Guardiola decide to retire, especially after the club’s director of football, Hugo Viana, was appointed to take over from Txiki Begiristain at the Etihad Stadium.
However, as of Monday, Amorim has been announced as the frontrunner to succeed Erik ten Hag, post his dismissal.
Amorim, undoubtedly, is not Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo, back at United in 2021, was nearing the end of his football career. Furthermore, he wasn’t quite the right match for the fast-paced counter-attacks preferred by Ole Gunnar Solskjær, nor for the exhaustive pressing stipulated by Ralf Rangnick. Ten Hag’s most notable accomplishment at Old Trafford might be his successful offloading of Ronaldo.
Unlike Cristiano, Amorim is a manager on the rise. The 39-year-old is supposedly among the most promising of the emerging generation of young Portuguese managers. Besides City, he was thought of by Liverpool during the summer before they chose Arne Slot.
After steering Sporting to victory in the 2020-21 season, breaking a 19-year hiatus, Amorim claimed the title once again last season and his team has kicked off this season with a record of nine straight wins. It was anticipated that Amorim would stay till the end of the season to strive for title retention, a feat Sporting has not achieved in seven decades.
Amorim possesses a pragmatic streak despite idealism becoming an increasingly unpopular characteristic among contemporary managers. He can adapt to a defensive style of play when necessary, but his inclination is towards aggressive pressing.
The glaring issue is what Ten Hag plans to do with the current United team. He came with a track record of high pressure tactics, but after two initial losses, he was compelled to revise his strategy considerably. The lesson was clear: pressing strategies don’t work with Ronaldo, and a high defensive line doesn’t suit David de Gea.
Regardless of Ronaldo and De Gea’s departure, Ten Hag’s team struggled to press effectively. There were often situations where players would individually pursue the ball, resulting in United’s infamous ‘doughnut’ formation: half the team advancing to regain possession while the other half remained in defence, leaving a sizeable gap for the opposition to exploit. Considering Casemiro and Christian Eriksen’s diminished stamina, Kobbie Mainoo’s youth at just 18, and Manuel Ugarte’s recent arrival, it’s understandable why pressing strategies haven’t worked.
Amorim, who has traditionally favoured a 3-4-3 formation at both Braga and Sporting, has utilized it in different ways. Usually, he positions two agile defensive midfielders in front of the back three – this rapidly creates a 3-2 defensive trapezium, which coaches often adopt to stifle counter-attacks. This strategy heavily relies on wing-backs to add an offensive element, a tactic that arguably led to Pedro Porro’s recognition, who now plays for Tottenham.
However, United lack players who naturally fit the wing-back position. Plus, in such a formation, there’s no apparent role for Bruno Fernandes, despite having several team members who could be successful supporting the centre-forward, such as Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo, and Alejandro Garnacho. The question of United’s formation and strategy under the new manager remains to be solved.
If Amorim ends up landing the job, it may necessitate him considering his alternate plan of employing a 3-4-3 formation in the short term where the central four takes the shape of a diamond. This formation requires one player capable of transitioning into the backline to create a cluster of four. This player would be accompanied by two supporting roles and a figure similar to Fernandes behind the central forward with two wing players on the side. It’s not unfair to question the stability of a midfield diamond format that includes Casemiro, Mainoo, Ugarte, and Fernandes, however, none of United’s current midfielders appear to make logical combinations.
This dilemma will certainly present challenges for anyone stepping into the job. This team, which was put together at a considerable expense, hasn’t produced significant results. Which pieces are designed to complement each other? What’s the core philosophy guiding these decisions? This is why extending Ten Hag’s contract appears to be an expensive mistake – it’s not just about his remuneration or severance package, but the substantial £200m investment in new players to fit into a system that Ten Hag envisioned.
What adds to the complexity is the ever-changing management and players’ resistance to the exercise of authority. There’s a need for a cultural shift. Performing a revamp on United is a daunting job – one that has been notorious for overwhelming managers of late. Manchester United still holds its prestige and the lure of being the one who turns things around is enticing – yet for an ascending manager like Amorim, it’s a considerable gamble. If there are other opportunities available to him, they should be thoroughly explored.