New head coach Ruben Amorim says he “truly believes” in Manchester United’s squad and that he is the right man to take the club back to the top.
The 39-year-old former Sporting Lisbon boss was named as Erik ten Hag’s permanent successor at the beginning of November and is gearing up for his first match in charge at Ipswich on Sunday.
Amorim faced the media for the first time since moving to England at the start of last week at a packed pre-match press conference that doubled up as an unveiling.
“I’m a little bit of a dreamer.” 💭
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 22, 2024
Ruben Amorim’s first press conference has landed 👀🎙️#MUFC || #PL
“It’s bigger (than I imagined),” he said. “There’s a lot of departments, it’s so much different than Sporting – and Sporting is a big club in Portugal.
“This you feel is a global club, so you have so much to do. It’s not just coaching the team, but I have a lot of help, a lot of meetings.
“I feel very happy, very comfortable. I feel at home.”
Asked what gives him the belief he can be the one to end United’s long wait to get back to the top, he said: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer and I believe in myself. I also believe in the club. I think we have the same idea, the same mindset.
“But I truly believe in the players also. I know that you guys don’t believe a lot in these players, but I believe a lot.
“I think we have room to improve and I want to try new things you guys think is not possible. I think it’s possible. We will see in the end.”
Amorim is trying to succeed where others have failed since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 fresh from winning United’s 20th league title.
I feel very happy, very comfortable. I feel at home
At the suggestion this is an impossible job, the new United boss said: “No, of course not.
“Call me naive, but I truly believe that I’m the right guy in the right moment.
“I could be wrong, but the earth still will turn, the sun will rise again. It doesn’t matter, so I’m not worried about that. I truly believe that I’m the right guy for this job.”
Amorim’s belief extends to his approach, with the former Sporting boss ready to implement his 3-4-3 system on Sunday despite limited preparation time.
“As a coach, you have to choose one way or another,” he said. “I choose always 100 per cent our way. I prefer to risk a little bit, but to push in the first moment.
“If they feel that since the first day that I believe so much in our way of playing, they will believe too. So there is no second doubts, no second way. It’s one way and we are going to do it.
“We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profile. This team was built for a different system.
“But it’s the same thing playing with five or four. The principles are the same. The positioning is a little bit different.
“Maybe on Sunday when you will see the list of players, the starting XI, you don’t feel a lot of change. But you will feel it in the game in the positioning, in the way they receive the ball or to cover the ball. You see some changes.”
