Ruben Amorim era at Manchester United is inching closer and with that, a new cycle of hope and optimism abounds but the job is big.
It has swallowed and spat out many managers after Sir Alex Ferguson and Erik ten Hag added his name to the list recently but the man who got the man rolling at Old Trafford was David Moyes.
Sacked within seven months of signing a six-year contract, he was the first to try and get United out of the shadow of Sir Alex, something which Ruben Amorim will be the latest to try.
Moyes has talked repeatedly about the challenge that is the Man Utd manager job which he was clearly overwhelmed by which, to his credit, he has accepted.
Therefore, he is well-placed to advise Amorim on what he needs to address at the club as soon as he comes in and it doesn’t bode well for the players.
David Moyes on what Ruben Amorim needs to do
Everyone will have words of advise for Amorim but that is the easiest part to do. However, Moyes, having been there and done that, can probably be heard.
Amorim has already revealed he’ll speak to Jose Mourinho after taking over on November 11 so Moyes’ comments hold value too.
That’s even truer because what Moyes has advised is the thing that many Man Utd fans have been suspecting for the last decade.
He appeared on The Overlap on YouTube and asked Amorim to address one thing as priority after taking over, despite recognising the changed club he’s coming in from the one which Moyes took over.
Moyes said: “He’s in a completely different situation. I was really fortunate to take over the champions of England at the time.
“At the moment, the players might be looking at it and thinking, ‘If we don’t step up then the manager is coming from a stronger position’.
“It’s not always calling the players out but I see a little bit where I think the players are quite happy to hide behind the manager, and let him take the hit for them.
“I could do with some of them and saying, ‘I’m not quite at it at the moment, not playing well’. We’re not getting much of that. That work rate is the first thing that any manager has to talk with players about.” [Relevant comments near the 43.20 mark]
Amorim’s arrival looks different than another false dawn
Man Utd fans are all too used to this cycle of hope and optimism under a new manager followed by an upturn in results, then a crash followed by dressing room discontent leading to a managerial sacking which is when the cycle begins again.
However, Amorim is the first appointment made by Ineos, and the wheels of change are already set in motion with his title being “Head Coach” instead of “Manager”.
He will be backed more than Ten Hag, who was effectively given to Ineos by the Glazers and he comes into the club in its lowest moment, which means he will have the authority to wield change.
Fans can be forgiven for thinking this is just another false dawn in a decade that has been full of those but these circumstances are different.
As Moyes says, the manager comes from a position of power and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co will back him to the hill. The days of players hiding behind the manager might be over soon.
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