MANCHESTER, NOV 24 – Ruben Amorim considers himself ‘always smiling’ but he could also turn stern to revive Manchester United.
Amorim’s first game as United manager is against Ipswich in the Premier League today.
The 39-year-old Portuguese boss, previously with Sporting Lisbon, leads a United side who are 12th in the league table, 13 points behind leaders and arch-rivals Liverpool.
But Amorim, who was appointed after United sacked Erik ten Hag, sees no reason to change his gregarious personality, especially when he has to do the opposite.
“You can be the same person,” Amorim said at the pre-match press conference.
“Be a positive person in all situations, there are places to have fun and some places to work hard.
“So, I can be cruel when I have to. If you think as a team, I’ll be the nicest guy you’ve ever seen. If someone only cares about themselves, I will be a different person.
“I’m not the type of guy who wants to show who’s boss. They will know later, that I can smile but when we have a job to do I will be a different person, and they understand that,” said Amorim.
But he now has the added difficulty of taking over the team mid-season.
“It is more difficult to join the team in the middle of the season because you have to get to know the players during the matches,” he said.
Amorim, who is United’s second manager from Portugal after Jose Mourinho, is one of five managers who have come and gone at United since the end of Alex Ferguson’s trophy-laden reign in 2013.
One of Amorim’s last games as Sporting manager was a 4-1 Champions League win over Manchester City.
“I think City’s dominance is a problem for everyone here, but we have a lot to do, we can’t focus on just one team,” said Amorim.
“If you can beat that team it’s a good sign but, as I said, we’re focused on Manchester United.” – AFP
