Ruben Amorim has ripped up Manchester United’s pre-match schedule at Old Trafford, scrapping the system put in place by Erik ten Hag.
SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN - MARCH 06: Ruben Amorim, head coach of Manchester United, looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Round of 16 First Leg match between Real Sociedad de Futbol and Manchester United at Reale Arena on March 06, 2025 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)
Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images
Ten Hag had forced his players to report to the stadium four hours before kick-off, arriving one by one for a meal inside Old Trafford.
Amorim has binned that, deciding the squad will now meet at Carrington, eat together at the training ground, and then travel to the stadium as a group much closer to kick-off.
United say they’ll arrive at Old Trafford at 2.45pm ahead of today’s game with Arsenal which kicks-off at 4.30pm. Amorim told MUTV: “I always had the feeling that we arrive at Old Trafford and Old Trafford must be the centre of the game, but we cannot spend four hours there waiting for the game.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: New signings Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha of Manchester United pose for a photo while holding match shirts prior to the pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and ACF Fiorentina at Old Trafford on August 09, 2025. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
“And I feel with these facilities [at Carrington] we can be here, preparing for the game away from Old Trafford and when we arrive at Old Trafford, we have to feel the fans and then go directly to the game, not killing the momentum of the connection with our fans.”
He added: “We know that we have a lot of people waiting there for us, to be with the players and to sign autographs. We will try to do the same.
“So, it’s going to be the same experience for the fans. But for us it’s going to be better because we are going to feel, nearer the game, the momentum with the fans and we will spend less time in there.”
A small tweak maybe, but it underlines Amorim’s determination to overhaul United on all fronts. For Arsenal, it’s background noise to a fixture that rarely needs extra storylines.
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