Ruben Amorim has been linked with a host of the Premier League’s top outfits but eventually chose to take the Manchester United job as he detailed his motivation
Ruben Amorim has underlined the history of Manchester United as a key motivator behind taking the job at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese boss arrived at the start of the week to begin as manager, replacing Erik ten Hag, who was sacked several weeks ago. Amorim joins from Sporting Lisbon, where his exploits made him one of the most sought after young managers in Europe.
He was linked with Liverpool as they sought a replacement for Jurgen Klopp and just weeks ago was tipped as the man to eventually replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. It is United though who moved to land his services in recent weeks.
Amorim has cited an impressive immediate connection with those in Manchester as a reason behind his move from the Portuguese capital. He has also hailed the history of the Red Devils as a huge factor.
He told MUTV: “First of all, I think I felt a connection with the club. And when I say with the club, everybody knows Manchester United. But I feel a connection with the people in the club and that is very important for me because I want to work with people that I like and I feel a connection.
“The second point is the history of this club. And also the moment I think all the people are hungry for success and I feel that this is the place that I want to be also because of that, because you can be part of something special, not just one more. And that is something that I really like.
“And of course, because of the fans, because in Portugal you listen a lot, a lot of stuff from the media. But when you see the games here, when you see the games, the interaction with the managers, with the players, even in difficult moments, I think it is a special club. So, it’s a lot of reasons. But the first reason is because it is a club with a great history.”
United’s history boast 13 Premier League titles – but the last of those came in 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson. Since then a number of stellar managers have tried and failed to scale those heights since – the likes of Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal all unable to mount a title charge.
Amorim’s initial task will be to improve the fortunes of a team who are languishing in the bottom half. Already it is United’s worst start to a Premier League campaign and the 39-year-old will begin work with an away game at Ipswich Town next Sunday.
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