Jamie Carragher has theory why Liverpool rejected Man Utd-bound Ruben Amorim that nobody has mentioned

Former Liverpool man Jamie Carragher has come up with a theory on why his former club opted against hiring Ruben Amorim.

On Friday afternoon, Portuguese Amorim was confirmed as the new head coach of Manchester United.

A club statement read: “Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements.

“He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.”

Prior to being confirmed as United’s new boss, Amorim was linked with the likes of Liverpool and West Ham United in the summer.

However, both clubs opted against hiring the 39-year-old as they hired Arne Slot and Julen Lopetegui respectively.

In his latest column for The Telegraph, former Liverpool defender Carragher touched on the Reds’ decision to go for Slot ahead of Amorim.

He wrote: “Amorim is one of the current generations of coaches who play three centre-halves – Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi are the same. My suspicion is that one of the reasons Liverpool favoured Slot over Amorim last summer is because the Dutchman prefers the more traditional four at the back, so the transition was easier for the squad he inherited.

“Under Jurgen Klopp, the style of the first team is mirrored down to academy level to ensure those who make the step up are familiar with the playing patterns.”

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Carragher continued: “Did Ashworth and Wilcox consider the change in style from Ten Hag to Amorim a potential problem at United? Or have they reached a point where it had to be a secondary concern as they want to give the right man a blank canvas to start afresh, regardless of the profile of players at his immediate disposal?

“On the positive side, critics argued with some justification it was never entirely clear what Ten Hag’s style was supposed to be, so, however Amorim chooses to play, it will be distinguishable.”