When Manchester United’s elite highly paid players look at themselves in the mirror they should reflect on the poor support they gave to sacked coach Erik Ten Hag. He operated as a “dead man walking” since the beginning of the season and many of the players defended themselves in private by claiming they never understood what the coach wanted them to do on the pitch!
Marcus Rashford is a shadow of his former self, Antony has been a waste of money despite all the confidence shown in him by Ten Hag, an ageing Casemiro blows hot and cold and it is time for him to leave and Chelsea import Mason Mount has performed well below his previous standards. At the moment United’s summer investment of £200m has simply brought together a number of players who are rather like a jigsaw puzzle where half the pieces do not fit properly together.
Manchester United originally made contact with Ruben Amorim several months ago but INEOS director Sir Dave Brailsford dithered and waited far too long to replace Ten Hag despite regular opponent supporters chanting at Ten Hag “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” The feeling around Manchester is that if he was going it should have been at the start of the season in order to give a new coach a clear run for this season.
Amorim was also a favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool but that came to nothing. Taking the job at Old Trafford is a big risk and he has also been considered as a replacement for City’s Pep Guardiola should he leave next summer. He led the Portugese club Sporting to two successive league titles after the club had suffered a barren period for nearly 20 years.
This year they have achieved nine wins in nine matches. However, the step up to the Premier League is considerable and will be a big test for the much admired coach.
At his previous clubs Braga and Sporting, Amorim displayed a preference for 3-4-3 with two mobile deep-lying midfielders in front of a back three. He also likes the currently popular style which instantly turns that formation into a defensive one and places considerable emphasis on fast running wing backs who counter attack. That would give Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo or Alejandro Garnacho an opportunity to do well but where would Bruno Fernandes fit in?
I can reveal that United’s board of directors had decided that Ten Hag would be sacked before the 2-1 defeat to West Ham and an announcement was always planned to be made this week. (Daily Trust)
