Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte has revealed his teammates have all been surprised by one thing regarding incoming head coach Ruben Amorim.
Amorim was the candidate chosen to replace Erik ten Hag following the Dutchman’s dismissal at the end of last month, with United triggering a release clause to end his Sporting CP tenure.
The Portuguese coach will start work on Monday after serving a reduced notice period in Lisbon and is tasked with restoring success to the club after a poor start to the season and a tough decade since the 2013 retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ugarte knows Amorim well already, having played under him at Sporting prior to a big money transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023. The Uruguayan has therefore been the man with all the answers for his United colleagues about their new boss.
“My teammates have asked a lot about him. What surprised them was his age,” Ugarte told DAZN Portugal, referencing the fact that Amorim is only 39 and not actually much older than some of the more senior players he will now lead at Old Trafford.
“He’s also very hungry to win and that’s very important. I can tell he’ll enjoy it.
“I saw that Sporting fans were upset and that’s understandable, because the coach is a great coach. It’s good for United, we have to take advantage of it and get him to convey his ideas as quickly as possible.
“I think it’s going to be a different dynamic and the day-to-day will be similar to Sporting’s. The league, the country, the football…it’s a big challenge for him but we all know he has the ability. It’s positive, mainly because the club needs to start building a path, which is important, and the coach will be key to that.”
