The Ruben Amorim era at Manchester United is still a few days away but in the meantime, his every move and word is being noted as he gets introduced to the intensity that follows the club everywhere.
It is pertinent, therefore, that he talks to people with Man United connections to get a feel for the job and what is needed to tackle it and be successful.
Of course, his focus will singularly be on Sporting Lisbon for now and finishing his time there with two more wins but Ruben Amorim’s prep for the United job will begin immediately after.
It seems like the Portuguese knows that he can lean on a few people to get an idea of what the job is about as he has revealed the person he’ll seek advice from once he finishes his Sporting stint.
Ruben Amorim’s point of reference for Man Utd
Once Amorim steps through Old Trafford, he will likely be in a much better position to succeed than those who came before him.
That’s because, in Ineos’ new executive structure, he has a whole team full of quality and experienced individuals ready to support the manager.
Still, the troubles of a manager can only be understood by another and Amorim has already identified the man he’ll speak to who had the ‘greatest impact on him.”
He said: “I will have an opportunity to speak to [Jose Mourinho]. He is a very experienced person. The greatest impact on me was how he dealt with me. He showed me that he can win everything. He opened the door for many of us. He was very important for us. We knew his teams would win. As Portuguese football fans we started to believe.
“It [the internship] was very interesting. He invited me after I completed the postgraduate [High Performance Coaching] course [at Lisbon University] designed by him.
“It was interesting but not decisive in my decision [to take the United job]. It’s probably the only time where you go somewhere as an intern and go back as the head coach of the first team.”
Jose Mourinho’s Man Utd connection
While Jose Mourinho’s Man Utd connection and Portuguese nationality make him the best of both worlds for Amorim to talk to, the club that Mourinho managed is worlds apart from the one Amorim is walking into.
The intensity and scrutiny are still the same but Ineos’ arrival above the coach makes this different from the numerous false dawns the club has had in all these managerial changes.
Mourinho counts finishing second with United as one of his greatest achievements and with the benefit of hindsight, that quote has aged well.
However, Amorim takes over a club in tatters which, remarkably, he said is just the way he preferred it because now he can do things his way.
That confidence in his abilities clearly is a similarity to Mourinho but Amorim’s managerial idol is someone else entirely.
So is his philosophy towards the game so while Mourinho can give him an idea of what it likes to be United manager, you only know that once you’re in that position but any experience and tidbits he can come in with to accelerate the pace at which he settled at the club is a huge bonus.
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