Ruben Amorim is a young coach who will be learning on the job at Manchester United.
Although Ruben Amorim delivered league titles during his time at Sporting CP, the 40-year-old has experienced nothing like Manchester United in his career.
That is not to be read in a disrespectful voice because Amorim is still coming to terms with the size of the football club. The focus on United is worldwide and it’s unmatched in the Premier League.
With that comes lots of responsibility and scrutiny.
One of those responsibilities is trusting United’s academy which has proven an assist since the early days of the football club.
Ruben Amorim working with Manchester United youngsters
United were hit with a challenging injury crisis last week.
Among the absentees was Amad Diallo, who has been United’s silver lining this season, but the Ivory Coast international could be ruled out for the remainder of the season.
It’s a huge blow for Amorim but he must use the players who are available to him. At least that way everyone gets a chance to impress United’s head coach ahead of an important summer transfer window.
Amorim held a pre-match press conference on Friday before United clash with Everton in the Premier League in today’s early kick-off.
Reports quizzed Amorim on whether he’s ever considered signing free agents. The telling response shows that the boss will prioritise youth players over stop-gap signings.
“No, no. Not that idea,” Amorim said. “We have young players, we are working with young players. We have to focus on that, as a club, when we have, at this moment, a lot of injuries.
“We should use the young players. If not, you don’t have the space for them to improve and show themselves. I think we really need to focus in the future of our club on the youth, because of the history and because of the reality of our club.”
This is also a warning to free agents like Paul Pogba, who could be looking for a way back into a big club, although a third return is unlikely given how it ended last time.
Any youngsters with objectives of getting into United’s first-team will be encouraged to hear the manager say he has faith in youth players.
They will all feel – like Chido Obi making his debut against Tottenham – that they have a chance to make the next step.
Even by training with the first-team, these young boys can learn a lot and develop their games which is the main objective for United.
When asked if there will be youngsters in the squad to face Everton at Goodison Park, Amorim added: “Maybe they are in the squad, we will see tomorrow.”
Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson recognised academy talent
David Beckham, George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton, Duncan Edwards, Ryan Giggs and Kobbie Mainoo are just some of the world-famous names who have emerged from United’s established youth system.
The illustrious tradition has been respected by managers who followed on from Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. This is why fans should see it as a relief that Amorim is following in their footsteps.
However, you can’t mention Busby without Jimmy Murphy in the same way you can’t mention Ferguson without Eric Harrison. These coaches helped develop young boys into the best footballers they could be.
United will be a success again if Amorim can produce a team like Busby and Ferguson, full of youthful talent, which we can see has taken focus with Ineos’ recruitment strategy.
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