Ruben Amorim was running through Manchester United’s recent managerial history. “The guys who won everything like [Louis] van Gaal and [Jose] Mourinho,” he said. “New ones who knew the club inside out like [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer, and one of the best that there will ever be outside the five strongest leagues was [Erik] ten Hag. You have different type of coaches, the same result.”
That result sometimes involved a cup or two, but never a true title challenge. None ultimately succeeded; not by the standards of what Amorim called a “global” club, “still the best” in England. All of which may have deterred many a manager. Old Trafford, arguably, has been a graveyard for them. Brushing aside the suggestion it has become the impossible job, Amorim instead arrived with a belief that he can end the trend of disappointment, with a confidence that did not come across as arrogance.
