Manchester United drew 1-1 with Chelsea on Sunday afternoon as fans wait for the Ruben Amorim era to truly begin at Old Trafford.
Manchester United fans flocked to Old Trafford hoping for another entertaining encounter after the 5-2 EFL Cup win over Leicester City.
That was the end of one era without really being the start of a new one.
United sacked Erik ten Hag last week and turned to Ruud van Nistelrooy as the interim boss.
Ruben Amorim has now been appointed as United’s new boss but won’t arrive from Sporting until the international break.
That leaves Van Nistelrooy in charge but he couldn’t quite repeat the magic of that thumping EFL Cup victory.
Roy Keane on Ruben Amorim to Manchester United
United did take the lead against Chelsea as Bruno Fernandes scored from the spot after Rasmus Hojlund was brought down by Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea hit back though as Moises Caicedo rifled a strike beyond Andre Onana in the United goal.
United couldn’t find a winner and were maybe fortunate to finish with 11 min after VAR ruled out a red card for Lisandro Martinez.
This was the first of three games in charge for Van Nistelrooy following Amorim’s appointment, with games against PAOK and Leicester City to come.
Amorim will be busy preparing for Sporting clash against Manchester City in midweek but will have surely had one eye on Sunday’s game at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese coach will have had mixed views on United’s display and Roy Keane has attempted to gauge what he would have been thinking.
Speaking on Sky Sports (03/11, 18:35), Keane suggested that Amorim’s first thought will have been that he should have signed a longer contract.
Keane feels that Amorim will need a number of years to even get United challenging again, suggesting that this team is almost ‘boring’.
Former United captain Keane added that Amorim should view United as being ‘way off it’ in terms of even reaching the top four, never mind going further.
“He should have signed a longer contract,” said Keane.
“There is a long way back for this team. Listen, the manager will come in and hopefully get more out of this group, but this is an average United team. All of the stats back it up.
“We keep repeating ourselves, and we come and watch Manchester United and you don’t know what you’re going to get with them. They could have won the game, they had a couple of chances at the end, but you’re also thinking there’s a good chance they going to lose it.
“It’s hit and miss… not good. It’s not good. I hate using the word but this United team is almost… boring seems a bit strong, but you’re just looking at the lack of conviction on the chances. Really disappointed, so flat and the fans must be disappointed. From the manager’s point of view, this team are way off it in terms of getting back into the top four and competing,” he added.
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United contract length
Keane feels that Amorim’s contract simply isn’t long enough for him to fix United, but how long will the Portuguese coach be staying?
Amorim has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at United, taking him until the summer of 2027.
United do though have a one-year option in that deal, meaning Amorim could stay until 2028 or beyond if he impresses.
This season will mostly be about Amorim learning all about the United squad and attempting to form opinions ahead of the 2025 transfer window.
United can’t afford to just waste a season but Ineos will have the long-term in mind having appointed Amorim mid-season.
Keane may have a point in that it’s difficult to see United challenging at the top of the Premier League table by the summer of 2027.
Amorim did though bring two league titles to Sporting after a lengthy drought and he will back himself to get United moving forward relatively quickly once he arrives in Manchester.
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