Jamie Carragher has been impressed by the ‘confidence’ Ruben Amorim has shown since taking charge of Manchester United but is concerned the squad may not be suited to his preferred 3-4-3 formation.
Erik ten Hag was relieved of his duties at Old Trafford after a wretched start to the season and United moved swiftly to wrap up a deal for Amorim, who had previously been sounded out by Manchester City.
However, Amorim remained in charge of Sporting until the international break, with Ruud van Nistelrooy taking over the reins from Ten Hag on an interim basis for United’s last four games.
Widely regarded as one of the finest young coaches in European football, Amorim oversaw his opening training session at Carrington on Monday and the 39-year-old will take charge of his first Premier League match away to Ipswich this weekend.
According to The Sun, United’s squad have already been won over by Amorim’s energy and enthusiasm and some players have even dubbed their new boss ‘Jose Mourinho 2.0’ due to the unwavering self-belief he has displayed.
Having watched Amorim’s first interview with United’s official website, Carragher has also been taken aback by the manager’s relaxed and assured demeanour while facing the media.
‘I’ve been really impressed with what the manager has said so far. He certainly has charisma, a personality, he’s laughing and joking with questions,’ the former Liverpool and England defender said on The Overlap US.
‘He got asked the question, “If I’m a Manchester United fan, what can I see on day one?”, and more often than not a manager would bat that question away and say, “Oh, hang on, I’ve only had two training sessions, we’ve got a long way to go, there’s a lot to change”.
‘But he’s just said straightaway, “I can guarantee you that you will see a plan, you’ll see an idea in the first two or three games”.
‘I’m not a Manchester United fan, obviously, but if I’m a Manchester United fan that would fill me with confidence that he was so confidence in his abilities, his system.’
Carragher added: ‘Let’s not forget, the Premier League has the best managers in the world and he’s coming up against some top operators, not even even necessarily at the top end of the table.
‘You look at people like Marco Silva or Thomas Frank, managers of teams in the middle of the table. They’re top managers.
‘I admired how confident he was and this real belief he seems to have and if he can put that into Manchester United, because there’s still quality players there, and also make them believe in this system and how they go about it, I think he can do well.’
Amorim is expected to start life with a 3-4-3 at Portman Road on Sunday afternoon, a formation Gary Neville was ‘stunned’ Ten Hag did not turn to during United’s struggles this season.
In response to Neville’s comments, Carragher argued that Ten Hag lacked the natural wing-backs to implement a 3-4-3 system – which he feels may be a problem for the Dutchman’s successor.
‘If Erik ten Hag would have gone to three at the back in his third season at Manchester United, he’d have gone to three at the back to sort of cobble along,’ Carragher explained.
‘Once you’re in year three as a manager of a top club, that’s something you might do when you first come in to get you through.
‘It wasn’t about getting them through to a certain stage in year three when he’d spent £600m. He had built a squad to play a back four.
‘I don’t think he could have gone to a back three because I think that would have basically been saying, “This is over!”, and he had to keep going with his idea and his plan.
‘I don’t think this squad is suited to three at the back, Gary. You’re saying they’re suited to it because they’ve got a lot of centre-backs but who are the wing-backs?’
Speaking with United’s in-house TV channel for the first time this week, Amorim stressed that it was his intention to restore a sense of ‘identity’ at Old Trafford after years of toil and frustration in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
‘We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games. But the most important thing for me is identity,’ he said.
‘From day one we will start with our identity. Of course we are going to prepare for the games, but we will focus a lot on our game model. How to play, how to press, these small details.
‘You cannot go 100 per cent on every detail because it will be confusing for the players. So if I have to say one thing, my main goal, my first goal, is identity.’
Amorim added: ‘I’m a small part of the club. I know that the manager or head coach is so important in the club because you have in your hands the engine of the club.
‘I understand that, but I want to be part of something. I don’t want to be just in charge. So I want everybody together. It will be more fun and so much easier to reach the goals.
‘A long time ago, we don’t win the Premier League. But if you ask (me), Manchester United is the biggest club in England. So this is part of the history, it is not now. So we have to to address that, to show that and to try to win again.
‘That is a great responsibility. And the first thing is that I’m really honoured to be here. It was my only choice because I think I really feel the how big this club is. And then I will do everything for the team.’
Will Amorim succeed at Manchester United?
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