Ineos make bold Ruben Amorim decision which proves Man United chiefs are learning from Erik ten Hag mistake

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Manchester United made it very clear that Ruben Amorim has been appointed as a head coach, not a manager.

Just four days after Erik ten Hag was sacked, Manchester United announced that Ruben Amorim will join on November 11.

The 39-year-old Sporting Lisbon boss was the top target for United’s leadership, who flew out to Portugal to get a deal over the line.

United fans will have to wait until November 24th for Amorim’s first game in charge of United, where he will face Ipswich Town and former Red Devils coach Kieran McKenna.

It was finally announced on Friday that Ruben Amorim will take charge of United but, unlike Erik ten Hag, he has joined as a head coach instead of as a manager.

Ineos take transfer power away from Ruben Amorim

The difference between a head coach and a manager is not just the wording of the job title, it suggests that Ineos are looking to make a key change.

Amorim will be granted full control over coaching the team and improving on-pitch results, but will importantly have less power than Ten Hag did behind the scenes.

As reported by The Athletic, Ten Hag “famously had a veto over transfer targets written into his contract” – something that Amorim is not expected to have.

They add that Ineos would prefer transfer decisions to be made by those higher up the power hierarchy.

Amorim will report directly to sporting director Dan Ashworth, who will work alongside technical director Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell.

Ineos learning from Erik ten Hag mistake

One of the biggest criticisms of Ten Hag’s tenure was his transfer decisions.

Over £500m was spent on new signings during his time at Old Trafford. Five of Ten Hag’s signings were former Ajax players.

Even after Ineos considered sacking Ten Hag at the end of last season, they backed him in what turned out to be another Dutch-centric transfer window.

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim gives clear verdict on whether Man Utd will make £70m transfer swoop

Gary Neville believes Ten Hag spent £150m on two of United’s worst-ever signings and ultimately his record in the transfer window will not be remembered fondly.

Ineos are clearly eager to avoid a repeat of that mistake and will take control of signings moving forward. Amorim will obviously have his say, but it won’t be final.