**Man United**end their preseason tour with a fixture against Everton. It has been a successful spell with two wins and six goals from their first two matches. But much more than that, Ruben Amorim sees the standards rising, and he is not "concerned with the small things" that troubled him initially.
‘We are more organized’
Once again, United are on a preseason tour in the USA, and their training base has set the right tone.
“The weather is good. There were a few days that were really hot, but it is good for us to suffer a little bit. We have the gym. It's near the pitch, so that is really good. The flow of the training is really easy.”
Amorim can allow for mistakes if intent is right and he is happy with the work his squad is putting in.
“I try to work with the team and then the way the team responds is the way I'm feeling because they are my image. I can be happier when the team performs well. Sometimes you can perform well in certain things and play bad. I think they are giving everything and that’s the most important thing.”
The structure of their schedule has helped the manager to think only about what happens on the pitch.
“I think in every detail I think we are better in the organization of the day by day. The nutrition is better, the way we cook, what we eat, how we prepare training. I think we are more organized. We have people now that help us to be better. I'm not concerned with small things and I was last year.”
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, and Tyrell Malacia have no future under the new boss. Wherever they went wrong, the new disciplinary standards should weed out any more problems.
Indeed, he does not feel like he has to lay down the rule book on his own.
“The players are working well and understand they need to give 100% if they don't give that it's going to be hard for them. I feel in the group that if so someone come to our group I will not have to fight all the fights I did last year. I have a leadership group in the team to help with that kind of situation.”
It is not a case of ruling with an iron fist. Amorim acknowledges that the group has to bond better.
“It’s completely different. Everybody's talking, they stay more than before when they would eat and go right away. Now they wait for each other. They stay there more than they usually stay.”
However, he has been happy to see that many players are going above and beyond to raise the level.
“You have to put them out. That is a good sign. You have to put the players out to because today is recovery day. That is a good sign. Yesterday the guys that didn't play, they trained really well.”
This is only the beginning: a revamped training ground will open to uphold those high standards.
”I was happy when I left the building we used last season. It's a new start with different standards and I think to go to the new building is like a fresh start. The timing is completely perfect to do everything. The good thing is that everybody’s aligned what we need to do. Now it is time to win game by game.”
‘I feel the support of everybody’
Amorim arrived in November and oversaw a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town in his debut in the dugout. He has always championed his 'idea' of football, and he believes more of it is becoming a reality.
“You saw the positions, you saw some things. You cannot see the whole idea and it was frustrating for everybody especially me. You can see a little bit more now because the characteristics are different.”
His refusal to ditch the 3-4-3 system was a constant critique as the Red Devils dipped further down the table.
However, he saw many reasons as responsible for their poor performances. One of those factors was the task of managing the run to the **Europa League**final, where the team lost 1-0 to Tottenham.
*“But I have to remind people in the last three months we try to manage the players in the situation that we have to perform in the Premier League but also our focus was in **Europa League.*”
Ultimately, the 40-year-old cannot avoid the expectation that his players must perform much better.
“Sometimes it was hard and with some injuries was tough on everybody. But I don't like to use it as an excuse. We didn't do our job last year. We have to do it this year. I think the idea is going to improve.”
Yet, the manager continues to see faith from the fans, and he is grateful for the ongoing support.
“Many times to hear people are backing me, I'm doing a great job after last season. It's important to hear that. In football results is going to dictate a lot of things but I feel the support of everybody.”
The backing of the board mirrors that sentiment. The fact that the Portuguese did not lose his job at the end of a dismal season shows that the executives are willing to give him every chance to succeed.
“I think it is clear. If you try to remember one coach in a big club that lost so many games and kept the job, you will not find one. If that is not support, I don't know what is. I'm going to do my job. I'm not going to change but I learned a lot last season. I think we are going to be to be to be better.”
He has observed that the board is buying into demands that can improve the culture within the club.
“Good days are coming. We will have bad days and good days but the organization of the club, the idea of bringing players with a certain character that is something that’s not the coach, it’s the club.”
That is all the more reason for Amorim to focus his energy on getting things right on the field.
*“So even without Champions League and Europa League, we have revenues from different types. So we have the tools to return to the top. I'm really not worried about that. I just worry about winning.”*