Ruben Amorim declared himself “the one” when he was officially presented as the new manager of Manchester United.
Amorim confirmed that he contacted former United manager Jose Mourinho before deciding to leave Sporting Lisbon and become the sixth permanent manager at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson.
Mourinho described himself as The Special One when he joined Chelsea from FC Porto in 2004, but Amorim, 39, chose a different way of introducing himself.
“José had an influence on all the Portuguese coaches, not just me,” he said. ‘It showed that we can be the best in the world, in a small country this can leave a mark. But I am different from Mourinho. He was European champion, I was not. I’m a different guy at a different time. I am the right person for this moment.
“I’m a young guy and I try to use this to help my players like Mourinho did at Chelsea with Lampard and those guys. I’m the right guy for this moment.
‘He sent me a message. He said welcome to the club, it is a big club and he is right about that. But many things change. I’m a different guy and I hope to teach my players something. “The club is still great, it is still the best in England and we want to win.”
Rubén Amorim has insisted that he is the right man to lead Manchester United’s forward line in his first press conference.
The 39-year-old also revealed that his compatriot Jose Mourinho had contacted him to wish him luck at the club.
In Amorim’s first game in charge of United, they will travel to Portman Road to take on Ipswich.
Asked if the job is impossible. Amorim replied: ‘No, of course not. I think that. Call me naive, but I truly believe I am the right person at the right time.
‘I may be wrong, but the earth will continue to spin, the sun will rise again, it doesn’t matter, that doesn’t worry me. I truly believe that I am the right person for this job.
‘I really don’t know what the biggest challenge is, I will find out over these months. You have different types of managers here, those who won everything like Van Gaal and Mourinho, the new ones who knew the club inside out like Solskjaer, then one of the best outside the top five leagues in Ten Hag.
“We have to improve as a club and recognize that we have to win games.”
Amorim warned that he will not compromise his 3-4-3 formation or his style of play, insisting that the players will have to follow his path. He highlighted some of the team’s shortcomings, including problems with tracking, which is central to their philosophy.
“As a coach you have to choose one path or another,” he added. ‘I always choose our path 100 percent. I choose to take a little risk. I believe so much in our way of playing that they (the players) will believe too. There is no second way.
‘We will adapt some players because we do not have a different profile. Maybe on Sunday (in Ipswich) you see the starting 11 and you don’t feel many changes, but you will see it in the game and in the positioning or where they receive the ball.
‘It’s not a revolution. Football is not so different with three players behind, four or five. We will play a different type of football. We have our ideas. It’s our way of seeing football.
‘We have room to grow as a team. I think we have to improve in many areas, the understanding of the game. It’s a different way of playing and we change mid-season.
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The Red Devils will be hoping for a quick turnaround under Amorim as they sit 13th in the league.
“I think we have to improve the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. I know that if you are at Manchester United you have to win games, so I won’t tell you that I need a lot of time. It’s a big league, the strongest in the world. world and we have to improve a lot.
“In simple things, I think if you want to talk about the team, I think we turn the ball over too often. We have to be better as runners, I think that’s clear to everyone and I think we have to be better in the details. We have to improve in the little things. In the little things I think I can help a lot.’
Amorim also said he hopes to have the final say on transfers, although the perception of naming him coach rather than manager suggested he had less rather than more influence over new signings.
“I think it has to be everything together because if you are a coach who comes here and you have already chosen the players, you can make a mistake because the club will be here for a long time and you, as a coach, don’t know it.” ‘, said.
‘We have to improve the hiring process, the data. I think it’s all together, but the manager should have the last word, not because it is his right but because it is his responsibility. “I have to understand the league and then when everything is aligned, everyone is on the same page, we can buy and sell players.”
Asked if it had been agreed with the United hierarchy that he would have the final say, Amorim replied: “It’s not the final, but I have a big responsibility when it comes to choosing the players.”