When Ruben Amorim’s protracted move from Sporting CP to Manchester United was belatedly concluded, he breathed an almighty sigh of relief: “The soap opera is coming to an end.”
Little did he know he was walking into another daytime drama.
Amorim has already had his start late for visa problems and sent out Ruud van Nistelrooy. A number of Manchester United players may follow the former interim boss out the door in the near future, but there are a few individuals who will benefit significantly from Amorim’s arrival.
At the end of Manuel Ugarte’s second and final season at Sporting CP with Amorim, the combative Uruguayan led the entire division in combined tackles and interceptions. These crisp figures earned Ugarte £50.5 million Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023.
After a bright start, the midfielder’s limitations in possession saw him relegated to a substitute role. Ugarte barely came off the bench for Erik ten Hag, starting just one Premier League game, which was the controversial defeat to Tottenham Hotspur that the Dutch manager made. he refused to acknowledge.
Ugarte started all four games during Van Nistelrooy’s interim spell and is likely to occupy one of the two central midfield positions in the 3-4-2-1 system he knows so well from his two years under Amorim.
Andre Onana arrived at Old Trafford with a reputation as the best ball-playing goalkeeper in the world. UEFA Technical Report 2023 Champions League final described him as “less a sweeper than a holding midfielder”, but those impressive possession skills have gathered dust at Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag only committed to playing from the back for less than two games, losing his nerve after a 4-0 defeat at Brentford in August 2022, a year before Onana arrived.
Amorim has warned that United will not be able to play exactly like their sports team, but they provide a template for how much responsibility is given to the goalkeeper. The Lisbon side play almost 90% of their shots on goal short, the highest proportion in Portugal’s top flight, and they will rely on the goalkeeper to get involved in the type of complex play that was. exposed in the recent victory over Manchester City.
Bruno Fernandes left Sporting just over two months before Amorim arrived. The former club captain and childhood fan continued to watch every game and was full of praise for his compatriot: “I think he has all the qualities to be able to succeed in English, French or Spanish football.
“Obviously, we know the Premier League is probably the most desired. The qualities (to succeed in England) are there and he has everything to take the next step, in my opinion.”
Fernandes it could appear in two different positions depending on the form that Amorim decides to deploy; either as a number ten in a diamond midfield or as one of two tight attacking midfielders behind a center forward in a 3-4-2-1. Both roles bring Fernandes closer to goal and will hopefully curb his tendency to roam the full width and breadth of the pitch.
