Ruben Amorim said his first priority as Manchester United manager is to revive the identity the club had in the past as he vowed to do everything to put them back where he thinks they belong.
The 39-year-old has joined this week and said he felt an immediate connection with United and revealed he was excited to be the first manager to be appointed by the new regime.
Amorim claimed United is the “engine” of football and said he was inspired by the glory and tragedy of United’s history as he seeks to take the team, currently in 13th in the Premier League, back to the levels they were once at.
But while there has been a focus on the 3-4-3 system Amorim played with his former club Sporting, he intends to stamp an identity on the players he inherited from Erik ten Hag, rather than simply changing shape.
He told MUTV: “I think it’s important because a lot of people now talk about the 3-4-3 and the 4-3-3 and all that stuff. But when I think as a player or as a team-mate of Manchester United, it is not a system of formation, it’s like the character of the players, the way they see the club.”
Amorim believes the team has to come first to produce a fighting spirit. He explained: “The most important thing for me at this moment is to create the principles, the identity and the character that we had in the past. If I have to explain the importance of everything, it is the character, the way we fight, the way we play, and we must have an identity. If our players take the shirt, they will know that it is the Manchester United team. Everybody thinks the same, running back, playing, enjoying. This is what drives me.”
Amorim insisted he cannot plead for patience as he wants the team to have his mark when his reign starts in earnest in his first game at Ipswich next Sunday.
He said: “We have to start since day one without fear, without thinking that they are not used to playing like this. This is not on my mind. They will start on the first day with our idea, no matter what. That’s the goal.”
He vowed to create a siege mentality by backing his team, adding: “I will do everything for the team. I will defend my players if I have to, all the time against everybody. That is a key point for me. I will try to do everything to put this club in the place that it belongs. And I believe a lot that we are going to succeed.”
Amorim said is decision to leave Sporting was because of the bond he felt with United, including the new hierarchy.
He added: “I think I felt a connection with the club. And when I say with the club, everybody knows Manchester United. But I feel the connection with the people in the club and that is very important for me because I want to work with people that I like and I feel a connection. The second point is the history of this club. And also the moment I think all the people are hungry for success and I feel that this is the place that I want to be also because of that, because you can be part of something special, not just one more. And that is something that I really like. It’s a club with a great history.”
Chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox were responsible for bringing him in as the first new manager since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought his 27.7 percent share and Sir Dave Brailsford was brought to the club. Amorim has formed a positive impression of each.
“Even Sir Jim and Sir Dave, but especially Omar, Dan and Jason,” he said. “I felt a connection and I felt we are in the same moment. We want to do something special in the special club. So I think that was a key point.”
Berrada hopes to make United champions again by their 150th anniversary, in 2028, Ratcliffe has said he wants to knock Liverpool and Manchester City off their perch and Amorim is motivated by the ambition they showed.
“When Manchester United talked to me, Omar, they told me about their plans and you get excited,” he said. “It’s a real honour because I was the first choice to start that path. So it’s a great responsibility. But you feel honoured and excited to be part of that. And we know that if the team plays well and wins games, everything looks so much better and the people really start to believe in the new stadium and new ideas. So, we know that we are the engine of the football. Manchester United is the engine of the Premier League in my opinion.”
Amorim has been at Old Trafford this week and wants to tap into United’s past to take them back to the top.
“It’s so different,” he said. “You see the trophies, you see the tragedy that we have as a club. So you can understand the history, after the crash, then we were European champions. This kind of strength, I think it is important to put in our team.”
Amorim’s former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has called him a poet and he explained: “It’s like a funny thing because I like to speak, not too much, but when I speak, I speak. I think I speak from the heart. I think the people feel that it was something just to have fun.”
