Paul Scholes has admitted he is “really excited” about Ruben Amorim and believes the manager is a “real coup” for Manchester United, despite initially urging his former club to postpone his appointment.
The Red Devils legend, who was on TNT Sports as a pundit during Manchester United’s 2-0 win over PAOK at Old Trafford on Thursday, waxed lyrical about the incoming Portuguese manager, who will start in his new role on Monday .
Amorim made the perfect statement to Red Devils fans by triumphing 4-1 over perennial Premier League champions Manchester City at the José Alvalade Stadium on Tuesday, beating Pep Guardiola thanks to a magnificent hat-trick from the Sporting’s in-form striker, Viktor Gyokeres.
Despite initially having reservations, Scholes made a clear U-turn on his opinion of Amorim and admitted he “couldn’t wait” for the former Sporting coach to join.
“I’m very excited about this,” Scholes told TNT Sports.
Paul Scholes has admitted he is “really excited” about Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Manchester United, despite initially claiming his appointment “feels like signing Erik ten Hag” again.
Amad Diallo inspired the Red Devils to a 2-0 victory over PAOK in the Europa League on Thursday
Amorim will start work at Old Trafford on Monday, leaving Portuguese club Sporting
“We have come across coaches and players who we really haven’t had competition to try to sign.
“Especially some of the players where there are no players like Barcelona, Man City and Liverpool, the big clubs are chasing them.”
“I think with Ruben Amorim, everyone is watching and they’re a little jealous, because I think some of them really wanted him.
“I know there was talk about him with City once Pep left, so he is held in high regard.
‘This is something we haven’t really had before. We had (Louis) van Gaal, who getting a big job at that stage of his career was a surprise.
“For (Jose) Mourinho, it was probably his last big job and it was a bit of a surprise for the Chelsea rivalry.”
“This is the first one where you think: ‘Yes, this is a real coup.’ We’ve come in ahead of three, four or five big clubs in Europe and it’s exciting. I can’t wait for it to come.
Last week, Scholes admitted he was unsure whether Manchester United would hire the Portuguese, fearing Amorim’s appointment looked too similar to that of recently sacked manager Erik ten Hag.
Scholes waxed lyrical about Amorim after the match while working as a pundit for TNT Sports.
The Manchester United legend initially had reservations about the Portuguese at Old Trafford
He urged Manchester United to wait and give Amorim an ‘audition’ against Manchester City and Arsenal.
The Dutchman, despite winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his time at Old Trafford, failed to live up to expectations in the Premier League, finishing eighth last season and dropping to 14th after nine games before his sacking on last month.
Ten Hag joined the club in 2022 after a successful spell at Ajax, which included three Eredivisie titles and a run to the Champions League semi-final in 2019.
“I agree with Ruben Amorim: (the hype) he looks a bit like Erik ten Hag (when he joined Manchester United),” the Red Devils legend said last month before the appointment was confirmed, speaking in The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by sky bet.
“I know he has to sign in the next few days and hours, but Sporting will play Manchester City next week and Arsenal in the next three or four weeks. It could be an opportunity to give him a public interview and see how he handles the situation. situation”. media, see how your team plays.
“In England we don’t watch a lot of Portuguese football, so we don’t know too much. We see them a bit in European football, and everything we hear about it is good: exciting, three-at-the-back, possession-based football, which United really do. doesn’t. If he comes to do that, it could be exciting.”
Needless to say, Amorim far exceeded his audition, and by hiring the manager before the upcoming international break, rather than waiting for Sporting to play Arsenal in a few weeks as Scholes suggested, Man United have given him time to express your ideas. on campus.
Reflecting on City’s defeat, Scholes urged that Amorim’s biggest priority is to change the mentality at Old Trafford.
He said: ‘(Sporting) looked really good, they looked fresh, threatening. There was a desire, a hunger that probably hasn’t been seen here (at Old Trafford), so he will have to change the mentality as soon as he gets to this place.
Sporting triumphed 4-1 over City after Amorim was already appointed United manager
The Manchester United icon believes Amorim’s biggest priority is changing the club’s mentality
The Red Devils had fallen to 14th in the Premier League before the sacking of Erik ten Hag
“He seems to have character, a good smile and I actually saw an interview where he said he wants to come and ‘have fun’.” That is not something that has been associated with this club for quite some time.
“I think it’s going to be pretty easy for him to get this team up five or six spots.” Last year they finished eighth, so they don’t have to do much to overcome that.
“The question for me is how can he get this team to compete for the Champions League places at least. And then he will have to take the next step to fight for the league title.”
Man United take on Leicester at Old Trafford for the final game under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy on Sunday.