The glaring problems left for Ruben Amorim’s successor to fix at Man United | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim is gone and Manchester United are back in the sea of uncertainty. The solution to a 13-year problem - the search for a guiding figurehead post-Sir Alex Ferguson - remains as distant as it’s ever been.

Amorim arrived at Old Trafford to much fanfare off the back of a stellar reign at Sporting CP. He’d been courted by Liverpool as a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp before their hierarchy landed on Arne Slot. So when the Portuguese signed on the dotted line with the Red Devils in November 2024, there was hope that the then 39-year-old - a spring chicken in managerial terms - would be Manchester United’s future.

Instead, his 14-month reign of error leaves him with an unenviable legacy as the club’s worst permanent manager of the Premier League era. Overhyped and incapable of restoring the dereliction left by Erik ten Hag, the daunting task of stabilising once the ruling force of English football will fall into new hands.

The club are set to take time over choosing a successor as they lean towards a summer appointment, with The Independent understanding Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner leads a shortlist also containing Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna and recently departed Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

The Austrian’s adaptability has been key to his and Palace’s rise, transforming the Eagles into one of the sternest teams to face in England, not to mention to euphoria of delivering a first-ever major trophy in the FA Cup last term. And while he does operate three at the back - the system maligned under Amorim - this willingness to change will be a must for whoever comes through the door at Carrington.

open image in gallery

Oliver Glasner is top of Manchester United’s shortlist to replace Ruben Amorim (PA Wire)

Amorim’s “emotional and inconsistent behaviour” was believed to be one of the reasons that prompted his sacking - something showcased in a now-telling rant after United’s draw with Leeds on the weekend. Media scrutiny surrounding his failing 3-4-2-1 ideology had long been incessant and when probed about his formation choices in a meeting with Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox on the Friday preceding the Elland Road trip, the two United chiefs were apparently left unimpressed with Amorim’s answers.

Amorim was never open to ditching his three-back strategic baby, staying loyal to the system despite apparent alternatives. It meant he shoehorned his best players, including captain Bruno Fernandes, into positions less suited to them. There’s an argument that he wouldn’t play his best players at all in the name of the 3-4-2-1, with homegrown starlet Kobbie Mainoo iced out in favour of players who don’t exactly warrant indispensable status.

A systemic overhaul will be first on the docket for any new manager at Old Trafford. A period of trial and error will surely be required with this misshapen roster, potentially resulting in a drop down the table from their currently lofty heights of sixth. But in the long-term, a reset done right will reap far more rewards than the current approach, which entails the insistence to stick with a failing philosophy.

open image in gallery

Amorim’s insistence on pushing ahead with his 3-4-2-1 system was key to his downfall (AP)

Any new system should cater to the current crop of players, hence playing the best players in their best positions. It’s a blindingly obvious principle that Amorim seemingly refused to pick up on. Fernandes should not be stuck playing deep, Amad Diallo should not be at wing-back, and Luke Shaw - when fit - should not be crammed into a back three.

There also needs to be fresh impetus in the promotion of academy graduates, with Mainoo, 20, the obvious name to reintegrate into the starting XI.

Having exploded onto the scene as a teenager and subsquently earning a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad, Mainoo became starved of minutes under Amorim. However, he remains the club’s most exciting local prospect due to the Portuguese’s reluctance to offer significant game time to any youngsters in his year-plus at the helm, let alone Mainoo. Amorim instead opted for stagnating titans of the past such as 33-year-old Casemiro, and favourites from past jobs, with the regularly-subpar Manuel Ugarte first making his name under his tutelage at Sporting. That’s on top of huge transfer expenditure, further blocking the pathways for youth players.

open image in gallery

Kobbie Mainoo (right) may be one of the big winners of Amorim’s sacking (PA Archive)

A successful rebuild will require greater care on developing their top academy stars into first-team world-beaters - something interim boss Darren Fletcher will surely have an eye on, with twin sons Jack and Tyler, 19, both vying for their own senior breaks.

While Mainoo looks set to be one of the big winners of Amorim’s departure, the recent actions of his half-brother highlights a glaring concern that still needs to be solved within the dressing room, one that has not be adequately addressed by any manager in the post-Ferguson era.

open image in gallery

Mainoo's half-brother, Jordan Mainoo-Hames, wearing a 'Free Kobbie Mainoo' shirt at Old Trafford (Jordan Mainoo-Hames / Instagram)

When Jordan Mainoo-Hames, formerly of Love Island fame, rocked up to Old Trafford in a “Free Kobbie Mainoo” shirt in an embarrassing act of public familial defiance, he did no good in winning back favour for his sibling. Whether Mainoo himself signed off on the stunt or not, this latest airing of dirty laundry showed the trend of United’s toxic internal culture is far from being bucked.

United have a mess to clean up on the pitch, but if a new boss can’t finally get the players and personalities in line behind the scenes, the club’s long-term revival will remain but a pipedream.