Man United supporters think they have spotted the difference between Ruben Amorim and Erik ten Hag – and it speaks volumes.
Amorim, 39, will take charge of his first match as head coach of the club when the Red Devils travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon.
The Portuguese oversaw first-team training this week but was without several key players due to international commitments.
He was left with just ten players on Monday, so he decided to join in the session himself.
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Eagle-eyed fans were also trying to piece together his possible first starting XI when watching training footage released by the club earlier this week.
The United faithful also think they have spotted a ‘key difference’ between former boss Ten Hag and his successor Amorim.
A video compilation of the current and former United bosses emerged on X [via UF] and directly compared the pair’s style in interviews.
The video showed Ten Hag ‘awkwardly’ explaining his style and philosophy before it cut to a more confident, self-assured Amorim discussing the same thing.
Fans weighed in with their thoughts.
One said: “See the difference without playing a game yet?”
A second added: “Ten Hag's presence is rather uncomfortable. I can feel the awkwardness, and I'm not sitting there.”
A third explained: “Both are very different.”
But a fourth defended the former United boss, saying: “I still feel ten hag could be our Rodgers ..has laid a good foundation for Amorim.”
With a fifth explaining how Amorim’s master of the English language could possibly be the reason for coming across as more confident in his explanations, they said: “Ten Hag is just not very good in English, and his presence is unfortunately a little awkward, that makes a bad combo.”
For most of Ten Hag’s tenure, his United sides played on the 'back-foot', utilising counterattacks as a way of punishing the opposition rather than the ‘front-foot’ play United fans have been previously used to.
As for Amorim, his preferred style at his former club, Sporting, was to make use of a 3-4-3 formation with extra responsibility for the wing-backs.
The 39-year-old explained his theory on the team’s playing style during Friday’s press conference.
"As a coach, you have to choose one way or another,” he told the gathered media.
“I always, 100%, our way. I prefer to [take] risk but push in the first moment. Since the first moment, I believe so much in our way of playing - there’s no second way.
“We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profiles, as this squad was set up for a different system. When you see the team on Sunday, it will be similar players, but in the game, it will be different."
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Ruben Amorim, Premier League, Sporting CP
Luke Davies