Ruben Amorim: An inside look at the new Manchester United boss’ first week in charge

The irony was not lost on Manchester United's staff.

As the watching world zoomed in on Carrington and Ruben Amorim sampling his new surroundings for the first time, the man who had instructively appointed him head coach of the club had to fly in the opposite direction: Lisbon.

The capital of Portugal must have felt like a second home to Omar Berrada.

On the day he relieved Erik ten Hag of his position, United's CEO left to negotiate with Sporting the release of their 'transformer', which was a quick and successful process.

During Amorim's official opening remarks, he revealed that it was Berrada's pitch – the Portuguese were at the center of creating a powerful new era that would include the best sports stadium – that made him want to sign the contract immediately.

Last Monday, as Amorim stepped out of the black Mercedes carrying him to United's training center shortly after 2 p.m., Berrada was the first to give him a warm welcome and lead the tour before rushing to the airport to appear on a panel for WebSummit to appear. .

If he thought he would get any reprieve from all things Amorim, the opposite was the case.

Even with more than 70,000 people in Lisbon for the conference, United's new head coach was the main topic all week. There was no way around it: taxi drivers, hotel staff and high-ranking executives from some of the best companies in the world were all talking about Amorim.

Anyone of a Benfica persuasion was delighted to see him leave Portugal and predicted a dip for Sporting. Porto supporters co-signed these sentiments. They were…relieved.

Sporting's new Manchester City director of football, Hugo Viana, was also at WebSummit and it was not lost on him that rivals' reaction to Amorim's departure would mirror the day when Pep Guardiola – on the brink of a contract extension – finally walks away from Manchester City. the Premier League champions.

As part of normal contingency planning, the 39-year-old was assessed internally as a potential successor in the future.

Amorim knew he couldn't wait for something to happen when he had, as one of his closest confidantes put it, 'a huge club with a huge history that says you can write their future'.

Sports staff, players and fans were still in mourning, but that was outweighed by a sense of pride: their man was United's chosen one.

Regardless of who was talking about Amorim and how they personally felt about the move, there was one common thread: the belief that he will succeed where so many others – some of greater stature – have crashed and burned.

A coaching colleague joked to Amorim that, as the face of United, he is now 'the most famous manager in the world'.

It was laughed off. He will soon discover how intense and compelling the global glare is, but those who know him well believe he will use it to generate the emotion he needs to take United forward.

A small window into the atmospheric shift around Amorim away from the pitch is told by the club's sponsors who are watching to see what he will wear in the dugout in his first match at Ipswich on Sunday.

His introductory talk, in which he donned a tight green Adidas track jacket, went down so well that sales of that item increased.

A source from Paul Smith's association with the club admitted that they are pushing for him to be in their kit this weekend because “he brings gold to the market: he's not trying, he's just authentic, and people respond to that .”

Commercially and substantively, United already saw the advantages of Amorim during the international break. The number of features, videos and spin-offs around him on the website and app are sky high.

Many of them have the word 'viral' attached to them and Amorim is a commodity in a way Ten Hag could never be.

The Dutchman loved the club, cared for it and fought for it, even in its most turbulent periods, but he was not adept at expressing it in a warm, engaging and personal way.

He was brilliant off-camera or in interviews where he felt a connection with the reporter or presenter, but he couldn't 'take people on a journey and engage them emotionally'.

Amorim is the opposite. A 'poet' as Cristiano Ronaldo once described and where some of his predecessors could not grasp the value of speaking with feeling and hitting, which is at the heart of why everyone who loves football gets involved in the sport, he uses his own connection with the game as a superpower.

“The thing about Ruben,” says his confidant, “is that he knows every feeling; of a player, a coach, a supporter. Of winning and losing. Of making mistakes before learning from them and using them to succeed. What he does is he communicates all these feelings clearly, in a way that we all understand, because he speaks to us just like us… And he really makes you feel how much he wants to win, how much he loves football, how much he will fight. '

That connection has already led to buy-in from Carrington's staff and players. The environment is described as 'demanding but friendly'.

Amorim's first week in charge focused on getting settled, meeting all the different departments and departments that were not on international duty, investigating Carrington and Old Trafford, and assessing areas where rapid change and victories could take place .

His awe on the stadium tour at the magnitude of United's story has defined much of this week, reminding players of the greatness of the team they represent and teaching them the basics of what it takes to do justice to the shirt.

Amorim is baffled by the obsession with his formation, believing there are so many more crucial facets than him using three at the back. Players' strengths and weaknesses, how they engage, how they absorb his demands, and how well he can get them to buy into his idea – especially in in-game decision making – matter more than in any format they start. the match.

Above all, this is the team they should be: fighters, aggressive, with the right character and an identity that does not change even if the situation on the pitch changes.

Amorim's main message was to inject belief into the team; everyone is at United for a reason, and to ask them to show why they belong to “the best club in the world” – six words he has often repeated.

Amorim has demanded more intensity, speed and 'dynamic thinking' during his training. He wants to shorten recovery times when losing possession and improve the link between physical fitness and mental acuity to eradicate the capitulations the team has become accustomed to.

Over time, he expects United to 'live and breathe his idea as second nature'. He is less concerned about explaining his style externally, because he believes he needs to convey it well enough to the team that we will automatically see it.

Amorim is aware that the real turnaround starts on Sunday, and despite all the viral content, sponsors falling over themselves and fans feeling like United are back, he will only be judged on what comes next.

Amorim plans to focus on improving training grounds rather than exorbitant transfer spending in his aim to return Manchester United to its former glory, Sky Sports News understands.

He has spent this week implementing his playing principles and breaking down the idea of ​​the team he expects from United in terms of character and identity, rather than pushing for new recruitments in the January window.

United's leadership structure replaced Ten Hag with the 39-year-old because they felt the squad was underperforming, and the Portuguese has a knack for getting the most out of individuals and the collective.

Amorim prides himself on developing players and incorporating their strengths into his approach, which he wants to continue. He has used the international break to assess those away from their national team in Carrington, but also analyzed footage from this season to correct weaknesses.

There is a strong belief that most of the squad can adapt to Amorim's blueprint, with one area at left-back potentially needing a solution from the market due to the injury problems of both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

The coaching staff, only just in, were baffled by reports linking them with everything from strikers to goalkeepers. They're excited to tap into the group's untapped potential, with Rasmus Hojlund leading the way, and relish the prospect of allowing players who have been written off the platform to prove people wrong.

Even those who have impressed, such as Kobbie Mainoo and Amad, are expected to reach new levels. The pair had one-on-one conversations with Amorim during training, where he stepped in to help them with better body positioning to create angles and the timing of their movements and steps.

There has been a lot of buzz around the complex about Leny Yoro finally making his competitive debut for United.

Overall, the message from the club's coaching setup and hierarchy is confidence that the current crop is capable of delivering more than they have shown.

There is a determination to do business sustainably, which is one of CEO Omar Berrada's main objectives. The transfer waste that colored United's post-Sir Alex Ferguson era is a thing of the past, and with sporting director Dan Ashworth now having more time to take a broader look at recruitment practices, a more surgical approach is expected.

The club sold well in the summer, which was strange to them but is now a habit they want to continue. No quick decisions will be made on off-season squad planning, with sufficient time and space to assess how players are coping with the demands of Amorim and where there is a need for improvement.

This also applies to what you need to do regarding contract options and renewals.

Amorim's first game in charge is against Ipswich on Sunday, live on Sky Sports. Although he has said his ideals will be clearly visible from the start, United's hierarchy are aware that it will take some time for his methods to fully take shape. the limited training time with the entire group prior to the big kick-off.

Watch Ipswich vs Man Utd in the Premier League this Sunday live on Sky Sports from 4pm; starting at 4:30 PM