The five biggest problems Ruben Amorim must solve as Man Utd manager, including sacking three players – Man Utd

Ruben Amorim faces the biggest challenge of his managerial career after agreeing to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United’s next head coach.

It emerged on Thursday morning that United had agreed a deal Sporting Lisbon Amorim was hired as head coach, just days after the sacking of Erik ten Hag in a 2-1 defeat to West Ham.

Earlier this week, United informed Sporting that they intended to invoke Amorim’s release clause of around €10m (£8.3m) after he verbally agreed to take over.

39-year-old football player will start his first duty Unified He will be scheduled for the match on November 24 – when the Reds will face Ipswich Town – but for now he will remain at Sporting for their match against Estrela Amadora. Manchester City and Braga.

A number of persistent problems will be encountered in Amorim in the coming months. Mike Phelan, who works as United’s assistant Sir Alex FergusonHe thinks implementing a clear style of play will set Amorim up for success.

“The group of players he has and inherited is an important thing. “He’s got to do his homework on them, he knows the results haven’t been great,” Phelan said. talkSPORT.

“But from Manchester United’s point of view and from a coach’s point of view, I think he has to create some kind of performance, an identity on the football field. Who are they? “What will they do under this coach?”

Phelan added: “This needs to have a relatively immediate effect; it needs to manifest itself quickly because that will be a judgment on him quite early on. Then of course if he has some money left over he can build from there.”

Amorim certainly have a big job on their hands when they are in such poor form. So what other problems will Amorim face?

Removing dead wood from the team

It was stated that Amorim had already “talked to the board” about potential transfer plans. Team TalkChristian Eriksen claims Victor Lindelof, Casemiro and Antony are not part of his so-called ‘long-term’ goals.

United’s board, meanwhile, agree that their performance ‘does not reflect their wages’.

Get Marcus Rashford sacked again

Rashford, who has scored four goals in 15 appearances for United this season, is ‘excited’ by the prospect of Amorim becoming Manchester United’s new manager. Team Talk. In fact, he believes the Portuguese coach can help turn around his poor form.

He’s shown some glimpses of his old self this season, but Amorim needs to capitalize on that Rashford’s ‘extrovert’ nature to get the best out of him.

Defense getting used to the new formation

Amorim prefers a 3-4-3 formation, focusing on high pressing and possession. Their team runs in a 3-2-5 formation and defends in a compact 5-2-3; This is a very different system from the one Erik ten Hag implemented during his reign.

There are plenty of options at centre-back; Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are all valid options. They need to adapt quickly.

Image credit: Getty

Left back problem solved

Amorim is also known to use wing-backs in attack, but there is a problem. United have been without a recognized left-back for months.

Luke Shaw is expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future after suffering a new injury, while Tyrell Malacia has not played a competitive fixture for Manchester United since May 2023 following knee surgery last summer.

United continue to be linked with a move for Benfica full-back Alvaro Carreras; It was reported that he had a £16 million buy-back clause in his contract.

Fix lack of goals

Erik ten Hag emphasized that the biggest factor behind the club’s poor start to the season was the lack of goals. They scored just eight goals in their first nine league games, with Alejandro Garnacho leading the way with two goals.

Amorim knows how to find the network. While Sporting scored 96 goals on its way to the Primeira Liga championship last season, Viktor Gyokeres also scored 29 goals in 33 matches.

Gyokeres could be a long-term solution, but for now Amorim will need to get the most out of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who each have one goal in the league.