Should Amorim be given 3 years at Manchester United?

Karan Ahgun

— 3 min read
Should Amorim be given 3 years at Manchester United?

In an interview with The Times' "The Business Podcast", Sir Jim Ratcliffe said that he believes that Ruben Amorim "needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years". This has created a mixed reaction amongst Manchester United fans, with some willing to give the manager more time, whilst others are extremely unhappy with the suggestion. But is Ratcliffe right about managers needing more time and owners not making knee-jerk reactions?

Amorim has struggled to convince fans that what he is trying to implement will be successful for Manchester United in the long run but it seems that the club's executive hierarchy are willing to be patient. But that patience can only go so far. There's fear amongst even the staunchest Amorim supporters that if no signs of sustainable progress can be shown, there will be no choice but to move on from him. In all honesty, this United team is so unpredictable and it feels like they choose when they want to play with intensity. Intensity and physicality are two of the main things Amorim highlighted throughout last season that United needed to improve upon, and the summer transfer window definitely followed that suggestion. But even still, there are areas in the team which still lack these elements, especially in the midfield. Amorim's first choice midfield pairing is Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, both of whom are over 30 hence why the physicality is lacking in the middle of the park. Ratcliffe's comments about giving more time to the manager probably correlate with a shared feeling of overhauling the squad to get to a point where the physicality of the team is no longer an issue as well as the mentality.

The mentality within the team is also a massive issue that needs to be solved. Some of the players who have been at the club for a prolonged period of time have had their mentality affected by the failure they've been part of. Amorim even commented on it in an interview with Owen Hargreaves before the Brentford game. The manager name-checked Harry Maguire during the conversation, and said that with experienced players he could feel that "when things are going wrong, we go down". At the same time, Amorim praised the fresh mentality that Cunha and Mbeumo have brought as they have not been plagued by the past failures of the club. Overhauling the squad to bring in players who are hungry and have the mentality to overcome the pressures of being a Manchester United player should be the priority for the club in the immediate future. This probably won't take 3 years to achieve but the sooner it is done, the more likely it is Amorim will br given the time.

It shouldn't take Ruben Amorim 3 years to prove that he is a great coach but there are mitigating factors which have hampered his progress at United so far. Whilst Ratcliffe is willing to be patient, results must improve for the manager to be given the time to successfully overhaul the squad and start to challenge at the top of English football again. There are tiny aspects of improvement which can be built upon this season, but one thing that Amorim should look to change in the short-term is holding players accountable for their performances, as well as playing them in the positions within his system which will get the most out of them.

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