With Erik ten Hag dismissed and Ruud van Nistelrooy serving as interim head coach, Ruben Amorim will soon become the 10th manager (interim included) to lead Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013. As he prepares to take on the role, Amorim acknowledged fans’ expectations and made a nod to the legendary Ferguson.

United fans still revere Sir Alex, and the club has struggled to build a lasting project in the decade since his retirement. However, with Amorim’s appointment from Sporting Lisbon, supporters hope he can finally change the club’s trajectory. Ahead of Sporting’s UEFA Champions League clash with Manchester City, Amorim was asked if winning against City could make him a fan favorite at Old Trafford. The Portuguese coach kept his response measured.

“I don’t think about that, my focus is on winning the match for Sporting. The conclusions are not important for me because they could be erroneous: if we win tomorrow they will think the new Alex Ferguson has arrived. That will be very difficult. It could increase expectations, I don’t know what is better when I start my new adventure,” he said in the pre-game press conference.

Amorim acknowledged that City will be one of his biggest rivals in the Premier League, and he considers this upcoming match an important learning opportunity for his role at United: “Tomorrow I will learn a lot during the matches, one thing to watch on TV another is to see it live. When I go to Man Utd I will have a different idea, but I don’t know what I will find.”

Before joining United on November 11, Amorim will lead Sporting through two remaining games: Tuesday’s Champions League matchup with City, and a league match against Braga next Sunday.

Amorim was already in Manchester United

This won’t be Amorim’s first experience with Manchester United. In 2018, during his coaching studies, he was invited by José Mourinho, then United’s manager, to observe the club’s operations and facilities.

Amorim reflected on this moment, thanking Mou for the valuable experience: “Regarding my ­experience in ­Manchester, it was the only club where I did an internship, but I never said ‘I want to come back as a coach.’ But let’s see what happens.”

Amorim also noted that he hasn’t spoken with Mourinho recently, as Mourinho is occupied coaching Fenerbahce. “The impact (of my visit) had on my career was the way he treated me. He showed me that you can win everything and be a different ­person than you think. A special coach who opened the door. I will have time to talk to him, he is very ­experienced,” Amorim ended.