“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be their coach. It’s clear. I know my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, nor (Antonio) Conte, nor (José) Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United. It will stay like this for 18 months or until the board decides to change. That’s what I meant, I want to get this over with. I’m not going to resign. I will do my job until someone else comes to replace me. » These are the comments made on Sunday by Ruben Amorim which ignite the powder on the Manchester United side. Because this exit clearly targets his hierarchy, and in particular Jason Wilcox, director of football, with whom relations have clearly cooled in recent weeks.
According to Skysportsthere are disagreements over strategy during the winter transfer window, but a wider disagreement persists over the team’s future tactical approach. Which would explain the few changes seen in recent weeks. After repeating for months that he would not touch his 3-4-3, Amorim won against Newcastle by aligning a 4-man defense. Before returning to his 3-4-3 in the following two matches, against Wolverhampton then Leeds for two very disappointing 1-1 draws in content. On December 24, he had already launched a first salvo by declaring: “I have the feeling that if we want to play a perfect 3-4-3, we have to spend a lot of money and we need time. I’m starting to realize that this isn’t going to happen and that maybe I need to adapt. »
Ruben Amorim asks for support
His statement yesterday hit the nail on the head, as did his attitude, that of a disappointed man, who came to deliver a cold message. And this did not fail to provoke a reaction across the Channel, with the infernal Carragher-Neville duo, the star consultants of Skysports. “There can only be two explanations. Either this concerns the winter transfer window and the lack of support he receives, or his superiors are wondering about his indecision regarding the playing system.noted Jamie Carragher. Gary Neville agreed: “Something happened last week that Amorim is starting to get a little wild. It seems to me that there is a problem with something in the hierarchy. Obviously something is bothering him, he doesn’t feel supported. He is letting go. When you say he arrived at the club as a coach… I thought he was appointed head coach and, very clearly, responsible for training the team. The title of manager has become rare. He implies that he wants to manage more than just training performances, but also other aspects of the club. »
Support me or fire me, Ruben Amorim seems to be telling his management. Except that with a record of 24 victories in 63 matches managed, Ruben Amorim is far from convincing. He would like reinforcement as quickly as possible in the winter transfer window, in particular with two quality recruits in the midfield, while management does not want to panic and recruit under pressure, to avoid new flops. The budget has also been significantly reduced since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Portuguese coach may have played down his cards at a bad time, and the tension has clearly risen a notch at Old Trafford.
