Ruben Amorim did not experience a ‘new manager bounce’ he would have wanted after taking the Manchester United job in November.
It’s been a rocky start to life for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.
The Portuguese coach, 40, arrived at Old Trafford in November, just weeks after Ineos decided to sack Erik ten Hag.
United have fallen further in the Premier League table and they’re destined to finish either 16th or 17th, with one more game left to play.
In the Europa League, Amorim led United to the final, but suffered a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao on Wednesday night.
It was suggested before Amorim became United head coach that he wanted to wait until the summer to take the job, but Ineos stressed it was now or never. That meant Amorim didn’t have a pre-season to get to know his players, but he couldn’t turn down an offer of a lifetime.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim happy he arrived at Manchester United mid-season
Although results have been poor, United fans have rallied behind Amorim.
There is an acceptance that United’s first-team requires a lot of work, and the problems with the players existed before he arrived.
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Those excuses won’t stand next season if United continue to struggle in the Premier League. There will be no European football, which means Amorim will have more time on the training pitch with his squad.
Speaking to reporters at his press conference before taking on Aston Villa in the final Premier League fixture of the season, Amorim was asked if he regrets taking the United job midway through the season.
“In this moment, I’m really glad that I arrived six months before we started the new season,” Amorim said. “We avoided a lot of mistakes that would have happened next season.
“We have avoided a lot of suffering.”
While United may have avoided suffering for next season, which remains to be seen, the jury is still out after enduring a torturous 2024/25 campaign.
Amorim reflects on tough season
One of the biggest positives about Amorim since becoming United’s head coach is his honesty.
United right-back Diogo Dalot hailed Amorim’s honesty in the build-up to the Europa League final, even though he has been critical of his underperforming players.
Amorim accepts that it has been “really hard” and there will be “new ambitions” for the new season.
He added: “It’s really hard, I will not try to convince you otherwise, it’s been a tough season, but we had that hope we could win something and that could help us to finish the season in a different way. The way we can get up is to focus on the next game, to finish in a good [sic]. When you start thinking about the future and the squad, a new season is going to start and we will start with new ambitions and try to do better.”