Pick a first-choice set of centre-backs
Last season Erik ten Hag used 14 centre-back combinations thanks to injuries and form but he never seemed particularly happy with any of them. His former Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt was brought in over the summer with a view to partnering Lisandro Martínez, another who knew Ten Hag from Amsterdam, but he has underwhelmed. The problems were shown up in Porto when United drew 3-3, resulting in the manager changing the pair for Harry Maguire and the veteran Jonny Evans in a crucial match at Aston Villa. Rúben Amorim will also have Victor Lindelöf and Casemiro to increase options, which will be advantageous if he wants to change to his usual back three. Whatever happens, faith needs to be shown in those earmarked as first choice.
Sort out central midfield
The spine of the team is problematic at Old Trafford. In front of the ever-changing defence Kobbie Mainoo has impressed since being given his chance by Ten Hag but finding a consistent player to sit alongside him was complicated. Casemiro’s best days are behind him, leaving him regularly unable to cope with the pace of the Premier League and turning him into somewhat of a liability, and although Christian Eriksen has stepped up this season he still seems to be below the elite level United need to progress in the long term. They spent a lot of money – £42.3m to be precise – on Manuel Ugarte, who must wonder why everything is chaotic there and can be forgiven his slow start. If Amorim can find a way of getting the 23-year-old Ugarte, whom he coached for two seasons at Sporting, and 19-year-old Mainoo to work together, it would help build the foundations for the team.
Full name Rúben Filipe Marques Amorim
Born 27 January 1985 in Lisbon, Portugal
Playing honours Primeira Liga x 3, Taça de Portugal, Taça de Liga x 5, Supertaça
Managerial honours Primeira Liga x 2, Taça de Liga x 3, Supertaça
Playing career A versatile midfielder who won 14 Portuguese international caps, Amorim played for Belenenses, Braga and Benfica, seeing out his career at Al-Wakrah in Qatar after a serious knee injury. Retired at 32, having won three Superliga titles at Benfica and lost the 2014 Europa League final to Sevilla.
Early coaching career Amorim took on a coaching internship at Manchester United in 2018 when José Mourinho was manager. First job came at third-tier Casa Pia in Portugal where he developed his 3-4-3 formation and pressing style. Became Braga B coach in September 2019, and took over first team three months later.
Sporting success In March 2020, Sporting paid €10m to recruit him. He led the club to first Portuguese title in 19 years in 2020-21, nurturing talents like Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes and Nuno Mendes. Amorim rebuilt Sporting to win title again in 2023-24, but was denied double by Porto in Taça de Portugal final. Has led Sporting to nine wins from nine in the league so far this season.
Home life Married in 2016 to Maria João Diogo, an interior designer, with one son. Antero Henrique, the former PSG sporting director, is Maria’s brother-in-law.
Anything else? At the age of 39, Amorim will be first permanent Manchester United manager appointed under 40 since Wilf McGuinness in 1969. John Brewin
Sharpen up the finishing
United’s hierarchy grew increasingly frustrated at the team’s inability to score this season; netting eight goals in nine Premier League matches is clearly insufficient for a team with supposed Champions League ambitions. They invested heavily in Rasmus Højlund last season, seeing him as the ideal No 9, but despite showing he has plenty of quality he is yet to find consistency in front of goal. Alejandro Garnacho is the club’s top league goalscorer with a whopping two, with six colleagues below him on one each. United’s xG (expected goals) in the league is 15.65, indicating that consistently poor finishing is costing them. The summer signing Joshua Zirkzee does not look prolific and Marcus Rashford has failed to recapture the form that brought him 30 goals in 2022-23.
Get the best out of struggling players
Speaking of Rashford, it is not solely his scoring that is an issue; he has struggled with all aspects of his game since the start of last season. No one doubts his quality at his best but he missed out on the European Championship on merit and needs someone to revitalise him because he would be an asset to any team if he can replicate the form of two seasons ago. Another who needs to do better is Antony, a player Ten Hag brought in at great expense but who has looked subpar, rarely offering an indication he was worth £85.6m. With Ten Hag gone, Antony has plenty to prove having become a bit-part player. No one has seen the best of Mason Mount since his arrival in 2023. Injury has been an issue but Ten Hag was unable to find a position for him.
Create a recognisable and coherent style
Ten Hag had 128 games and it was almost impossible to decipher the plan in the majority of those. Jason Wilcox was brought in as technical director to oversee the on-pitch strategy and ensure the same philosophy ran throughout the club. He will be eager to see that Amorim is clear with his thinking and can quickly demonstrate it after Ten Hag’s United worked as individuals rather than a collective when pressing. The new head coach will have his own ideas but entering mid-season could make it difficult to implement them quickly, particularly with United playing twice a week for the foreseeable future, so this will be a great test of Amorim’s competence.
Improve squad’s injury record
There is a question of whether Ten Hag suffered from misfortune or whether his intense methods caused the problems that resulted in swathes of injuries. Last season United sustained 66 injuries, more than any other Premier League team and a startling figure that left them spending a long time without a recognised left-back. The medical department has been revamped but little has changed. Leny Yoro, Maguire, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Mainoo, Mount, Toby Collyer and Antony were absent for the final match of the Ten Hag epoch. No team or manager could reach an optimum level when consistently having to tinker with their starting XI because of the conveyor belt of absentees but it cannot all be bad luck and a solution must be found.
