Ruben Amorim authority rising on one-year anniversary at Man Utd | OneFootball

Today would have been the day Ruben Amorim was dreading; his one-year anniversary is said to be the day it becomes considerably cheaper to sack him.

But Manchester United’s recent performances mean the manager might never have sat quite so comfortably in the Old Trafford hotseat.

Of the five international breaks he has spent as United boss, this must be the one he has felt most at ease with himself and the events unfolding around him. Amorim will certainly sleep better this fortnight than he did during the October break.

Now, on the back of two wins and two draws extending an unbeaten run to five, Amorim ought to feel like he has earned himself some breathing space.

‘Teams who have beaten Liverpool’ is almost the least exclusive club in football right now, but that did not make United’s first win at Anfield in almost a decade any less sweet. Even more satisfyingly for the manager, it was a consequence of getting his tactics ‘spot on’.

The joy of beating their biggest rivals would have been forgotten six days later had Brighton rocked up at Old Trafford – the Amex North in recent years – and won for the fourth season in succession. But United, if a little chaotically, put the Seagulls to the sword to climb briefly into the top four. It wasn’t immediately obvious which was the bigger novelty.

Then came successive 2-2 draws in games that showed some familiar failings but illustrated again the kind of resilience too often missing from United sides in recent seasons.

That determination, the hint of some cojones in Amorim’s ranks, is perhaps the most encouraging facet of those four performances. In each game, United have suffered set-backs but offered a spirited and tangible reaction each time.

At Liverpool, when Cody Gakpo levelled, more Merseyside misery felt inevitable, especially given Arne Slot’s oddly gung-ho approach. Instead, United dug in and, via the magnificence of Harry Maguire’s bulbous bonce, seized all three points when most doubted they would take one.

The Brighton game was going much more serenely with United 3-0 up. Not quite uncharted territory for Amorim, but certainly unfamiliar, so perhaps we ought to give him a pass for the changes made in the name of load management that almost saw the Seagulls dump a big one on Old Trafford again. United weathered a storm at 3-2 and produced a moment of decisive attacking quality to make the game safe once more.

Narrower leads at Forest and Spurs were squandered and, worse, overturned. But, again, United showed the character to earn creditable points when previously, most likely, they would have meekly accepted their fate.

The TL;DR from those four games: United remain a flawed outfit – obviously – but they are developing a knack of covering up those flaws rather better. And there are signs of more sustainable improvement.

Certainly individually. Just with the most basic level of competency, Senne Lammens has brought some serenity to United’s rearguard, almost certainly aided by more assured performances from Luke Shaw and, most noticeably, Matthijs De Ligt.

Or perhaps the presence of a trustworthy goalkeeper is soothing defenders’ nerves shredded by two seasons in front of Andre Onana and the Turkish fella deemed less competent even than the Cameroonian. Regardless, for Stretford Enders, watching United defend now feels a less sphincter-shrinking experience than it did even before the last break.

It must help too that the football was only ever taking a break from Casemiro – it never left him after all. The Brazilian, on a similar redemption arc to Maguire, has gone from an expensive liability to the midfielder Amorim can’t be without.

Not just because the 33-year-old has rediscovered his mojo but primarily because the drop-off between him and Manuel Ugarte is so alarmingly stark. The urge to give Casemiro a breather against Brighton was understandable, but Amorim will know now it is not a luxury he can yet afford until United furnish him with another ready-to-go No.6.

They recognised the need in the summer but failed to move decisively. United are never shy in telling us how prohibitive the January market can be, but it is not a mistake Amorim or United can afford to make two summers in succession. That Amorim can even contemplate thinking so far ahead is testament to the Red Devils’ recent form.

As it turns out, United made more savvy moves than mis-steps in the market this year. Just being rid of the bomb squad banished by Amorim’s firm approach has improved the mood and manner at Carrington, further enhanced by the presence and influence of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, two stars apparently born for a stage like Old Trafford, neither afraid of the responsibility that comes with the privilege.

Like any team, United is the sum of its parts, and Amorim is positively effecting his individuals. Just as importantly, especially at Old Trafford where the whims of the dressing room have buried previous managers, the level of fight plainly evident suggests those players are buying into the boss too.

Full steam ahead, Champions League, then? Steady on. Amorim’s dogmatic faith in one particular system still feels naïve but his blunt honesty, combined with concrete improvements, makes him easier to root for.

A year to the day since he first walked into a building site at Carrington and a dressing room worthy of being condemned, Amorim has earned him the chance to build on the foundations of his rebuild.