If Arsenal are a reminder of a rare highlight in Ruben Amorim’s troubled time in charge of Manchester United, they also represent a role model. A giant club headed for a historic low, looking for a new identity after the departure of their greatest manager, turned to an inexperienced figure from the Iberian peninsula, a former midfielder fast-tracked to a prominent position as a coach.
Amorim could be forgiven for looking at Mikel Arteta and seeing similarities; perhaps a blueprint, too, even if United are coming up with ever more plans to win the Premier League – while being ever further away from actually doing it – while Arsenal are on course for a bittersweet hat-trick, a trio of runners-up finishes. As frustrating as that could be, it nevertheless looks like progress from United’s vantage point of 14th.
