Ruben Amorim has already spotted one big weakness in Manchester United, and it will come as no surprise to those oh-so familiar with the failings of the Erik ten Hag era.
The youngest manager in Manchester United’s history inherits a squad which, for much of the last 18 months or so had shown clear deficiencies.
Opposition teams would cut through Erik ten Hag’s team like a knife through hot butter, and not just the great teams either.
Fulham, Coventry City, Brentford, you name it. Almost every time Man United took to the field during that dismal 2023/24 campaign, it would not take long before those cavernous gaps appeared and those in red found themselves chasing shadows.
According to Sky Sports, Amorim wants to improve Man United’s ‘intensity’, with and without the ball. That, it seems, is a priority.
An extra focus is being placed on enhancing their physical capabilities on the training pitch, too. His high-octane, high-pressing style relies not only on the quality of his personnel, but also their ability to carry out Ruben Amorim’s demands, especially when it comes to winning back possession and fixing a well-publicised Achilles heel when it comes to defending transitions.
Ruben Amorim desperate to ‘improve’ Manchester United’s physicality
“I think we have to improve the physical aspect of the team,” Amorim tells the media during his first ever press conference in English football. “I don’t know how long it will take. I know if you are in United you have to win games, so I will not tell you I need a lot of time.
“We need to be better running back and I think that’s clear for everybody. We have to be clear in the small details.
“We have space to grow as a team, and we need to improve in a lot of areas. We are changing in the middle of the season with a different way of playing. We need to improve the physical aspect of the team.”
Amorim, while he has had only a few days to get used to his new squad, insists that the Man United team which kicks off away at Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon will be noticeably different from the one which ended the Ten Hag era blundering around with seemingly no semblance of a gameplan or an identity.
Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Leny Yoro could feature vs Ipswich
Amorim is already teaching Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo, for instance, how to better receive and move the ball on in tight spaces. Leny Yoro could make his long-awaited Man United debut at Portman Road, meanwhile. And the Frenchman should provide balance and technical qualities to a new-look, three-at-the-back set-up.
“They [the players] want to play,” Amorim smiles. “In this first moment, they just want to play.
“You can watch them on TV, but you have to train with them to see if they can play in different positions. Everyone wants to play now. If they have the opportunity to play as a goalkeeper, they will!
“Ruben Amorim takes over a Man United side 13th in the table, with only 11 goals and four wins to their name.
Yet, should an out-of-form Arsenal slip to a defeat by high-flying Nottingham Forest, Man United can move to within one point of the Gunners by beating Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich in East Anglia.
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