Are Manchester United Improving Under Ruben Amorim? | OneFootball

After Erik ten Hag left the Red Devils, leaving way to the Portuguese tactician, some Manchester United fans were skeptical: is it really right to bring a 3-4-3 manager mid-season to a squad that was built and suited to play in a back 4?

The questions were fair, especially as the Red Devils were arguably worse at the start of the Amorim era than any time under Erik ten Hag. The team was disjointed; losses were coming at a fast pace but can we now say that the Red Devils have turned a corner?

A Baptism by Fire

After the Red Devils won their second game of the Amorim era 4-0 against Everton, the Portuguese manager sat there and said that a storm will come.

And here came the storm. Consecutive losses, getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Tottenham. In four months, Ruben Amorim has lost more games with Manchester United than he lost in more than four years with Sporting. The lowest point was a dismantling at the hands of Newcastle at Old Trafford, in which Manchester United looked like a team that did not belong in the Premier League. The team looked undisciplined; players looked lost. Worse than that, after that loss to Newcastle, United were going to Anfield and the most hopeful supporter would have been happy with a 2-0 loss.

During that time, Amorim was arguing that he does not have enough time on the training ground. How can he instill his idea when he does not have time to train the team? There were six games before that Liverpool game and every Manchester United fan was waiting to see how the Red Devils would react at Anfield.

2025: A Corner Turned

On 5 January 2025, Manchester United went to Anfield and arguably played their best game there since the famous 2-1 win under Louis van Gaal. They put in an exceptional performance, matching the Premier League champions in waiting. It looked and felt like a game worthy of being the England Classico. While it ended in a 2-2 draw, one could argue that the Red Devils deserved the win.

After that, Manchester United went to the Emirates and knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup with 10 men for almost an hour. While some performances during 2025 have not been up to par, mainly Brighton at home, the Red Devils have played 17 games in 2025 and ended with eight wins, six draws and three losses. These six draws came with Arsenal twice, Liverpool at Anfield, Fulham, Real Sociedad and Everton. Arguably, if the Red Devils managed to put away their chances in these games, they could have won all six games. The only game where the Red Devils were comprehensively beaten was Brighton at Old Trafford.

The biggest sign of the Red Devils’ improvement under Amorim was the Leicester game last weekend. One and a half months ago, Manchester United needed an offside goal to beat the Foxes at home. One and a half months later, without Dorgu, Yoro, Maguire, Martinez and Mainoo, United won comprehensively away from home.

Players Improvement, Tactical Tweaks and Youth Integration

Some signs of improvement can be shown in the players and Amorim himself. Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee look like players reborn. Bruno Fernandes is the best player in the world on current form. Mazraoui can cover every blade of grass. Lenny Yoro is starting to look like a 59-million-pound player. Casemiro looks like the player who was tearing it apart in Real Madrid and his first season at Old Trafford. Even Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho are starting to show slow signs of improvement. Also, Andre Onana is now starting to come off his line to sweep more and claim crosses. The center-backs are starting to show huge improvement, in terms of when they time their jumps and pressing.

Another improvement came in Amorim himself. The Portuguese coach is improving his understanding of English football. He started changing his pressing system from a 3-2-5 or 5-2-3 to a 4-4-2 or 4-2-4. Dealing with set pieces, both defensively and attackingly, improved significantly in the past games. The Red Devils have scored more goals from set pieces than conceded in 2025. Moving Alejandro Garnacho to the right, playing Zirkzee in the left 10 role—opening up the overlaps and his passing range to benefit from Dorgu’s engine, getting Bruno deep to dictate play and using his non-stop energy to help in midfield with Ugarte. All of these tactical tweaks have helped United unlock better performances in 2025.

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Look at some of the Red Devils recent goals and it will show that the team is grasping the system. A cutback goal against Fulham, a cross in the six-yard box forcing the penalty against Sociedad, an overload to isolate the cutback, and a one-on-one generated by channel run goals against Leicester. Even against Arsenal, there was a wing-back-to-wing-back cross that David Raya saved and a cutback to Bruno Fernandes. The chances are now created through systematic play: cutbacks, crosses across the six-yard box, channel runs and set pieces. The way Manchester United creates chances now does not seem chaotic. Most goals Manchester United has scored in the past two months have come through one of these four methods. The chance creation now is based on the staples of the Amorim system. The amount of big chances that the Red Devils concede under Amorim is very low and their team defending has been better since the Portuguese coach came in.

Also, Amorim has now given debuts to several youth prospects. In four months under him, he has given Ayden Heaven, Chido Obi and Harry Amass their debuts. Granted, the injuries played a part but he is showing a trait that is necessary for a Manchester United manager: trusting the youth.

It is not just the players who are grasping the system; Amorim himself is grasping his players, their qualities, how to connect with them and most importantly, the club and its traditions. After all, also, managers need time to adapt and learn.

A Change in Mentality and Physicality

The biggest reasons for the improvement Under Amorim are simple. The Red Devils look like a team reborn in terms of physicality and mentality. At Anfield, United managed to come back and draw the game after blowing the lead. In past years, the Red Devils would have capitulated and lost with ease. They stood their ground with 10 men at the Emirates for 60 minutes and managed to win the game on penalties. Remember, this is a team that blew a two-goal lead at Copenhagen after going down a man and could not protect a home draw against Galatasaray with 10 men one year ago.

Against Ipswich, the Red Devils scored the winning goal with 10 men and managed to keep and protect their win. They managed to come back in games against Sociedad, Liverpool at Anfield, Manchester City at the Etihad, Everton at Goodison, Fulham and Leicester in recent weeks. The uptick in mentality and the never-say-die attitude is coming back to Old Trafford, especially with the growing list of injuries that is not giving Amorim plenty of options to change the game from the bench.

Another aspect that looks much better is the physicality. While it is still away from the levels required, Manchester United looks like a team ready to bully its opponents. They are now faster to second balls, more assertive in challenges, more intense in their duels and more confident in their manager and his way of playing.

The baptism by fire has helped Amorim know the players better and their qualities. An argument can be made that bringing him mid-season helped him quite a lot in understanding the team in high-leverage situations and not in the comfort of pre-season friendlies.

There is still a long way to go till Manchester United are back to challenging for elite titles and there will be more bumps along the road, but things look like they are turning under Amorim. The two players signed for his system, Dorgu and Heaven, look very at ease. The team is grasping the system more and as a fan, I am excited to see what this team can do next season with a preseason and some more signings more suited to his system.

The mental fragility and the lack of intensity look like they are going away from this team and they are being replaced by confidence, a never-say-die attitude and fighting for the badge. This is what Manchester United fans all want to see. Sometimes, football is simple.