A former team-mate of Ruben Amorim was shocked to find out that the Man Utd boss had become a coach after being “the changing room clown”.
The Red Devils identified the Portuguese head coach as the man to replace Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford in November after the Dutchman had overseen a poor start to the season.
However, things have not gone to plan for Amorim with performances and results worse under the new Man Utd boss than they were under his predecessor.
Amorim has been struggling to get his Man Utd squad to adapt to his playing style, philosophy and tactics, while the Red Devils are currently 13th in the Premier League.
That led to some very early sack speculation but Amorim now seems to have ridden that wave and he has the full backing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the club’s board.
And now former Benfica team-mate Roderick Miranda – who played for Wolves in the Premier League – was surprised to see the ex-dressing room prankster become a Premier League manager.
Miranda, who now plays for Australian side Melbourne Victory, told Flashscore Australia: “I never thought he’d become a coach! Not because of his football skills or his intelligence, but because he was the changing room clown.
“He had a really fun personality and was always doing something to make people laugh.
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“When I heard he started as a coach I was a little bit surprised and wondered how the guy I played with could become so serious!
“But he was a very intelligent player. He could play in many different positions, so maybe that’s why he’s a brilliant coach, because he has such a great understanding of the game.”
Miranda played under Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo and is not surprised by the impact his former manager at Wolves is having.
He added: “I’m not really surprised about that because I always knew he was really good.
“If he finds the right players and the right atmosphere, he’s a coach who can produce this kind of stuff.”
Miranda continued: “At Wolves we had a couple of seasons where I think we finished sixth or seventh and got a Europa League spot, so he’s already shown what he can do.
“It’s therefore not really a big surprise for me. Maybe it is for other people, especially a club like Nottingham that hasn’t been a top club in the past, but not for me.”