Reasons to be cheerful at last? Amorim’s year at Man Utd

As he reaches his one-year anniversary as head coach of Manchester United, it is fitting Ruben Amorim genuinely has something to smile about.

For if there is one element of the 40-year-old’s personality that shines through, no matter how bad things have got over the past 12 months, it is his ability to laugh.

Amorim laughed, albeit tinged with embarrassment, when his distinctive phone alarm went off at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur in May, just as the president of the South East Asia Football Federation was welcoming United to Malaysia for the start of their chaotic post-season tour.

He laughed last month when he was asked if the Pope had been in touch following the defeat of Chelsea, a day on from his declaration that not even the Holy Father could persuade him to change his controversial 3-4-2-1 formation.

He was even smiling when he delivered his famous “the storm will come” comments last December, when he predicted the problems United would face trying to implement his ideas.

Amorim was laughing again before Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest – which will be exactly one year since he was appointed – as he explained why.

“It’s my character,” he said. “Also, I know a lot of people want to see me arriving here with a face that [shows] I’m suffering. I like to do the opposite.

The joviality and upbeat demeanour is genuine, not a sign of nerves, say people who know Amorim well.

Apart from really bleak times – there have not been as many of those as outsiders might think in a year where United have won 22 games compared to the 21 they have lost – Amorim is viewed as a force for good at Carrington.

Rarely, it is said, does he become introverted.

More regular are the type of scenes this week, when he was an active participant in birthday celebrations for defender Patrick Dorgu.

Times have not returned to the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, who was on first-name terms with virtually every staff member, or even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who, because of his longevity as player, saw so many familiar faces when he returned in 2019.

But it does underline Amorim has a wider view of his job, rather than just delivering results and hunkering down with his Portuguese coaches, who he clearly knows better than anyone.

Maybe this comes because feeling management pressure, either in the Sporting goldfish bowl in Lisbon or at one of the world’s biggest clubs, cannot compare to the day his playing career was prematurely ended by injury and he sat with his wife in front of a spreadsheet and tried to work out how they could afford to bring up their young family.

Amorim’s non-negotiable commitment to certain aspects of his job can be seen after home games when he spends extended periods of time taking selfies or signing autographs for every fan who has waited patiently, whatever the weather, for him to emerge.

In addition, he has instructed his players to engage with supporters at Old Trafford as they arrive.

He views this interaction as a duty and shows personal gratitude for the backing he has received, which he is surprised by and hugely grateful for.

In general, after games, Amorim joins his players to acknowledge supporters when they have lost, as part of sharing responsibility. In victories, he prefers to get back to the dressing room and let his players take the credit.

Had Amorim’s one-year anniversary been marked on 1 October, judgement would have been almost exclusively negative.

At that point, only Tottenham of the 17 teams who remained in the Premier League throughout his tenure had fewer points than United’s 34 from 33 games. After three successive victories, Wolves and West Ham are also behind them now.

On Thursday, for the first time, Amorim was shortlisted for manager of the month. In his news conference he was asked about the possibility of Champions League qualification.

If they win at the City Ground, United will go second.

Even if it is only for a matter of hours, it will be the first time they have been that high, mid-season, since a victory at West Ham in September 2021, immediately before Solskjaer’s world unravelled.

Amorim warned of reading too much into his side’s current form. But three successive wins coupled with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘three-year’ comments, means a chronical of his first year does not read like an epitaph.

A month ago, the private stinging rebuke of one critic close to the dressing room was that Amorim’s enthralling news conferences were all he was good at.

Yet, while box office in their delivery, it is the part of the job he likes the least. He is emotional, which shows itself after games. But apart from solemn moments, when he speaks on behalf of the club on matters of importance, his words are not rehearsed.

His jovial nature is at odds with his intense and serious persona on the training ground – and his rather detached presence at times.

Last season, when media were allowed to observe the first 15 minutes of training before European games, it was noticeable that Amorim watched the routine sprints and rondos on his own, from a different pitch, sometimes 50 yards away.

This, it is explained, is partly because he has no role to play but also because he is using the time to think about the messaging he will deliver in the main session.

Filmed footage of his first training session last November shows Amorim telling midfielder Kobbie Mainoo exactly how many strides he needed to move after laying a pass off, then where to open his body out to create maximum passing angles.

This summer, sources said there were points where he had two players taking up the same positions in training, before running through different scenarios to ensure they moved into the right area of the pitch.

While this may seem peculiar it does make sense given Amorim knows which players fit into which slots in his team.

That first recorded session also showed Amorim working on speed in transition, especially defensive turnovers.

Finally, with gaps between games allowing full preparation weeks, this reinforced messaging is paying off. Awful days at Grimsby and Brentford are outliers rather than the norm.

United officials say now, as they have done consistently throughout the past 12 months, there has never been an internal conversation about Amorim’s future. The club’s hierarchy, from Ratcliffe down, is supportive. The aim for the season remains European qualification.

But have there been times when Amorim himself wondered if he would get this far?

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “There were some moments that were tough to deal with, to lose so many games, was so hard for me because this is Manchester United.

“Putting all the attention on Europa League and not winning, was massive.