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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has suggested that Ruben Amorim may be forced to abandon his preferred 3-4-3 system that made him so successful at Sporting Lisbon.
Amorim arrived at United on Monday to officially take over his new role as head coach. A day later, he was photographed greeting a number of the players including Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo, Toby Collyer, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw.
The Portuguese is just awaiting his visa before he can take charge of training sessions at Carrington. This process is expected to conclude swiftly.
Amorim guided Sporting to the Liga Portugal title in 2021 and 2024. The last time the Lions had won it was in 2002. When he departed, he left the Estadio Jose Alvalade outfit in top position in the league, having won all 11 of their matches.
After beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 4-1, Sporting are also in a very good position to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.
Central to that success has been his 3-4-3 approach, which emphasises defensive compactness. There has been plenty of speculation over whether Amorim will seek to implement this playing style at United.
According to Fernandes, Amorim may have to go a different way.
The skipper told club media, “He’s a really smart manager that has done really good things for Sporting tactically – it’s really good, what I’ve seen from the games for Sporting.”
“But obviously as we always speak, you can’t bring or transform what he has done at Sporting into here, because you have different players, you have different ways of play and everything.”
“I’m pretty sure that the idea of football he has, independent of the way he wants to play, is going to be a good one and it’s going to bring us success. That’s what I hope and I’m pretty sure that [is what] he hopes too.”
Fernandes expressed his hope that Amorim can bring the same influence to United that he had at Sporting.
“We hope that he can come, and this is the right moment for him to come and bring his energy, bring his qualities and his knowledge of football, because he’s done something really, really special at Sporting. If someone doubts that, it’s about just looking at the past.”
“Sporting was to be about 20 years without winning the league, and he got back to win the league, and he won it two times in four years with a really youthful team, in a moment of change. So hopefully he can do the same here for us and [hopefully] it’s going to be a successful time for all of us.”
Fernandes, who United signed from Sporting in 2020, pinpointed Amorim’s personal touch with the players as one of his main strengths.
“Obviously for me, what stands out as I said to you is the connection he has with the players. You see it at the end of the game when a manager is going from your club in the middle of the season and with all the things that they have still to win.”
“And you see the way they say goodbye to him, the way they feel, they make him feel part of the team and how they treat him. So it shows that this is a great character and he’s someone that gives his all to the players.”
Fernandes also insisted that Amorim is a manager who has shown a willingness to give young players a chance, and this is something that will hold him in good stead at Old Trafford.
Featured image Octavio Passos via Getty Images