“This is what Erik ten Hag failed to do, Change that and thank me later”: Former Man United’s coach Jose Mourinho has provided a solution to Ruben Amorim’s problems at Manchester United
Things might be looking very bleak for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United – but a text from Jose Mourinho proves he still has the backing of the former Red Devils boss.
Mourinho knows Amorim well, having mentored him during a coaching internship the young Portuguese boss undertook while managing lower-league Lisbon club Casa Pia.
The manager, now 40, took the reins at United in November after Erik ten Hag’s sacking. But he’s been struggling to get through to his players, with the Red Devils floundering in 15th in the Premier League.
Broadcaster Richard Keys recently warned minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that Amorim may walk away if things don’t improve. But Mourinho’s confidence in his apprentice seems resolute.
After Amorim was appointed, he told the official United website that Mourinho texted him well-wishes before his first match. Amorim said: “He sent me a message and told me that this is a lovely club, a big club, with lovely people – and that is correct.
“It still is. But a lot of things change and we are in a different building now; we are building a new one, and I am a different guy. I was learning at the time. I hope to now teach something here too, to my players. But the club is still big and is still the best club in England, and we want to win again, that is all.”
When Amorim was first linked to United, Mourinho said: “I like him as a coach. I think he has the conditions to be able to coach in any league and he has the conditions to be able to coach in any club.
“But he’s in a good league and he’s in a big club. The decision is his and it will be up to the clubs that want him or not, to convince him with more or less arguments. What is clear from my side is that I like the person and I like the coach.”
Alongside the disappointing showings on the pitch, United made 250 staff members redundant over the summer, with another round of job cuts ranging from 100 to 200 expected this year.
In his blog, Keys penned that United have become “a laughing stock” and suggested that Amorim “is a manager who clearly doesn’t want to be there”. Despite recent setbacks, Amorim reaffirmed his dedication to the club after defeat by Tottenham.
He said: “I am not worried. I understand our fans, what the people and media think about it. I want to finish the league strong, I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about the club, the team, the players. I hate to lose; that feeling is the worst.
“The rest I am not thinking about. I just want to help my players. I understand my situation, my job, I am confident on my work and I just want to win games. I am more concerned about the club and the team and the place in the table is my worry. I am not worried about me.”
