Ryan Giggs has urged Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim to tap into the playbook of Sir Alex Ferguson with one major change needed at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim became the sixth permanent manager of Manchester United since legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out of the Red Devils in 2013.
United have not won a Premier League title since the 2012-13 campaign and the Red Devils have struggled in the aftermath of Ferguson’s retirement.
Amorim arrived at Old Trafford last November from Sporting CP and the 40-year-old Portuguese replaced Erik ten Hag as United manager.
Erik ten Hag made his exit from the Premier League club in 2024 after he was sacked, with United enduring a disastrous start to the season under him.
Amorim has been left to navigate a difficult 2024-25 campaign with United, with the Red Devils languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table.
However, the former Sporting CP boss has seen a better run of results in the FA Cup campaign and the Europa League season with the Red Devils.
United have reached the fifth round of the FA Cup under Amorim and the Red Devils are also through to the last 16 of the Europa League.
Giggs sends message to Amorim
Ryan Giggs was part of every single one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s 13 title-winning teams at Manchester United in the Premier League era.
The 51-year-old United legend spent the majority of his playing career under Ferguson after rising through the youth academy in the 1990s.
Giggs played a key part in the United teams of the past that dominated English football under Ferguson, who is regarded as one of the best managers of all time.
The former United and Wales star insisted that Ruben Amorim must transform Old Trafford “back to being a fortress” and make it a “horrible place” for teams to visit.
“You have to show some guts when things aren’t going well at Old Trafford,” Giggs said, as per The Sun.
“When people used to play here, they would say the pitch seemed massive. They said they felt that they couldn’t get near any of us.
“But at the moment it looks like it’s the reverse — it looks like it’s too big for our own players.
“And it’s horrible to see but we need to somehow turn that around where we’ve got that fear factor again.
“I say that because at the moment, any team that comes here to play, they all look confident from the beginning.
“First and foremost, you need to get Old Trafford back to being a fortress. We need to make sure that we don’t let teams come and play — and we make it a horrible place to come again.”
Giggs understands Amorim’s mood
Amorim hasn’t been afraid to mince his words and the United manager has warned that there would be short-term pain before things turn around under him.
Giggs admitted that he can recognise why Amorim has been brutal with his verdicts, including calling his side the “worst team maybe in the history” of the club.
“I get a feeling he knows the history and he’s frustrated,” he said.
“And I get that. That’s why I like him. He’s frustrated and that’s why he was so honest a couple of weeks ago, because he wants to be a winner.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
