Ruben Amorim: Manchester United legend Paul Scholes highlights ‘big concern’ for incoming manager at Old Trafford
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Published 07/11/2024 at 21:02 GMT
Paul Scholes told TNT Sports he is concerned about how long Ruben Amorim will need to rebuild Manchester United after the sacking of Erik ten Hag. Scholes also questioned whether Amorim can fully transplant his coaching philosophy to Old Trafford with The Red Devils' current squad, but praised the manager's positive approach as Sporting CP hammered Manchester City in his final game in Lisbon.
'He's going to have to change the mentality' - Scholes on Amorim arrival at Man Utd
Video credit: TNT Sports
Paul Scholes believes it could take four years for Manchester United to get close to challenging for the Premier League title under Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils lured him away from Sporting CP with a two-and-a-half year contract after sacking Erik ten Hag, and Amorim immediately raised expectations by thrashing Manchester City 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League in his final home game at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Amorim will start work in Manchester on November 11, taking over a side 13th in the Premier League and barely clinging on to the UEFA Europa League play-off places, and Paul Scholes addressed the scale of the task facing the 39-year-old.
"The big concern for me is how can he get this team to challenge for the Champions League places when it should be the very, very least," Scholes TNT Sports.
"And then, I do not know how much time he is going to have to make that next step again, to get it challenging for the league title. You are thinking three-and-a-half or four years to even get close to that.
"He is coming in at a situation where they are 14th in the league, 20-odd in the Europa League, so he is coming at a really bad time.
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"Some of the bigger managers you expected to do well - the Van Gaals, the Mourinhos - did not quite work for them. But their level was still higher, they were still going for Champions League places, not quite the league.
"And I think it is going to be quite easy for him to get this team five or six up. They finished eighth last year, it was a bad year so he has not got that much work to do to beat that, but I think he is more than capable of doing that."
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Man Utd ‘easy to play against’ and ‘don’t know how to keep a lead’ - Scholes
Video credit: TNT Sports
Scholes: Amorim must change United mentality
Scholes added the stylistic differences between Amorim's Sporting and Ten Hag's United are another challenge facing the new boss.
Amorim dismantled Pep Guardiola's City with a back three, but Scholes highlighted a lack of potential Manchester United wing-backs.
Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford are more suited as forwards, with the obvious alternatives being the defensive-minded Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui.
However, Scholes believes the rest of Amorim's tactical foundations can be exported to Old Trafford, while praising Amorim's mentality at Sporting and their performance against the Premier League champions.
"It was brilliant. They look really good, they look threatening, they play with a real energy," Scholes said. "There was a desire, a hunger that probably has not been seen here [at Old Trafford].
"He is going to have to change the mentality as soon as he comes into this place, he looks like he is got the character, a good smile.
"I actually saw an interview where he [said he] just wants to come and have fun. That has not been something that has been associated with this club for some time now.
"I would say three or four players at least, especially forward players, do not want to do the ugly side of the game. He is going to have to make them do that. They are going to have to look into his eyes and say 'I believe every word this coach tells me'."
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