A week has served as a crash course in managing Manchester United for Ruben Amorim. There was the hope and disappointment, the flying start at Ipswich and the underwhelming draw of a team held by one of lesser talent, acquired for lesser resources. There was the initial indication of how bright the spotlight shines, of the blend of football and celebrity that United tend to attract.
Before Amorim had got a win, he had an apology from Ed Sheeran after the pop star gatecrashed his post-match interview at Portman Road. It was not necessary. “Sometimes you overcomplicate things,” said the Portuguese, aware such artificial controversies did not come his way in his homeland. “It was nothing, a simple thing to say hello to one of the commentators. And I was with Roy Keane, who is a real star.”