How Ruben Amorim got Man United's mojo back

Even before a ball had been kicked, Ruben Amorim was pacing anxiously up and down his technical area, breaking off only to shake hands with Sean Dyche and share a hug with Fred the Red.

‘I get anxious, because I don’t know what will happen,’ Manchester United’s new head coach has confessed in recent days. 

Of course, this is Amorim’s choice. He could have stuck with a system and lineup that was more familiar to his players while he got his feet under the table at Old Trafford. But the 39-year-old was brought in from Sporting Lisbon to bring about change and changes are what he is making, even if it means living on his nerves. 

In a week when Pep Guardiola’s obsessive nature came under scrutiny, here was another coach who looks like he lives and breathes every moment. He need not have worried. His first Premier League win was also United’s biggest since August 2021.

It brought two goals each for Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford and a clean sheet, even though a wretched Everton contributed to their own downfall. Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday will be a sterner test.

Amorim’s ability to inspire and man-manage was one of the reasons United hired him. 

After scoring on his debut against Fulham in August, Zirkzee was in danger of disappearing out of sight. But Amorim resisted the temptation to stick with Rasmus Hojlund after his standout display against Bodo/Glimt.

Zirkzee is not a natural No 9, but he produced two assured finishes and had a hand in Rashford’s second too.

There weren’t too many players in red better than him, but Amad Diallo was one of them. The Ivorian has embraced his new wing-back role since getting an assist in the first minute of Amorim’s reign at Ipswich, and he provided two more yesterday.

It will have delighted the coach that both came from pressing high to win the ball off first Jarrad Branthwaite, then James Tarkowski.

Rashford got a brace, days after Amorim told him to take control of his own destiny. It makes a mockery of the claim that there are no goals in this team. In seven games since Ten Hag was fired, United have 19 goals.

Amorim refused to throw Rashford under the bus, even though he disagreed with his decision to go to New York in the international break. He has adopted a sympathetic approach with Mason Mount too.

Mount only got on for the last 10 minutes here, but Amorim sees him as a perfect fit for one of the two wide attacking positions in his 3-4-3 formation. Rashford and Bruno Fernandes played there yesterday, and while Fernandes prefers a central role where he sees more of the ball, he still picked up two assists.

Amorim made a double substitution after the third goal went in and another after the fourth, having made six changes to his starting line-up for both Everton and Bodo/Glimt.

The logic is simple — players have to adapt to his system quickly, so give them as much game time as possible.

As Amorim admits, it is a balancing act and one that means he does not always know what will happen next.

‘The result was good but we were pragmatic,’ he said. ‘It was not pretty. We did our job: to win. You can feel that we have a long way to go. You can’t just focus on the result, you have to focus how it happened.

‘We have so much to do, but it is better to work with victories. We have some moments when we are good but then we have moments when we have to suffer. We need time to improve.’

He remained an agitated figure until victory was sealed. By then, the Stretford End had broken off from protesting against ticket-price hikes — accusing owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family of being ‘touts’ and ‘taking the p***’ — to serenade their new coach with a chorus of ‘Amorim’s Red and White Army’.

These are very early days, but it is beginning to feel like United are on the march again.