Man Utd sent Champions League reminder they have a world-class manager who needs to be backed

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Ruben Amorim didn’t get off to the best of starts as the Manchester United manager but anyone who has followed this club knows the road is long.

Ruben Amorim has admitted too that there is suffering in store and he’s foregoing short-term results for long-term success, something which Erik ten Hag didn’t do.

He will have to block out the noise and after his debut as Man Utd manager, Amorim has already started to tackle the media issue.

In the meantime, his stock continues to rise even without managing a game, which will help increase his authority at Old Trafford.

For that, he can thank his previous employers at the grandest stage in European football.

Sporting strengthen Ruben Amorim’s credentials

For Manchester United, Thursday night football is where it’s at this season and they will hope to follow Tuesday and Wednesday fixtures soon, ideally as soon as next season.

However, what happened on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, bodes well for their own project and no, it’s not about Manchester City who can’t seem to buy a win in recent months!

Amorim’s previous employers, Sporting Lisbon, had their second big European test, facing Arsenal after beating Man City 1-4 in remarkable circumstances in Amorim’s last game in Europe as Sporting manager.

They lost 5-1 to the Gunners in a game where not only were they missing a few players, but their manager was absent too!

Joao Pereira, Ruben Amorim’s replacement at the club, was barred from entering the technical area since he doesn’t have his Pro Licence yet.

Assistant coach Tiago Teixeira manned the dugout in his absence but the void was clearly felt by everyone as the generally resolute Portuguese club fell apart.

With that, Amorim’s credentials were strengthened further. It was already known how pivotal he was to Sporting’s success and if they struggle after his departure, which no Man Utd fan would wish, it will fill the club with more confidence that they have a transformative figure at the helm of affairs.

Amorim needs to be backed unequivocally

Although it goes against the Ineos philosophy of decreasing the dependency on the manager, United do need to back the manager unequivocally this time.

A similar thing was said about Ten Hag but then the owners themselves changed. Now that the new team has got its own man in place, there are no asterisks.

Amorim is United’s first ‘head coach’ instead of ‘manager’ but there’s a balance to be struck between limiting him only to the training ground and giving him the keys to the kingdom.

He has shown at previous clubs that leaning into his methods does turn the clubs around and even though his start was less than ideal, the cultural shift is already underway.

What Amorim did after the Ipswich game shows he’s leaning into the marginal gains philosophy, trying to address the problems at the club in small ways that all add up to make a big impact.

The transfer window next summer will be a big test and Ineos have already passed one with flying colours.

It is now time to commit to the manager completely even if it brings a lot of suffering. Sporting’s travails in the Champions League strengthen that belief.