New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has already laid down the law to his squad – and has now introduced his third ‘ban’ at the club since taking over last month
Ruben Amorim has reportedly imposed a third ‘ban’ in the Manchester United dressing room, which will impact his entire Red Devils squad.
The Portuguese head coach is already a month into his tenure at Old Trafford, during which time he has learned the sheer size of the task ahead of him. Amorim’s results thus far have been mixed, having won three, lost two and drawn one game across the league and European formats.
But with the 39-year-old determined to bring positive change to United, he has decided to introduce several strict rules – or ‘non-negotiables’ early on, with a busy winter schedule coming up.
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Amorim implemented his first rule by banning his coaches from dishing out complex tactical instructions. He is of the notion that if he can’t explain a certain idea in a single sentence, it shouldn’t be communicated at all until simplified.
That’s especially crucial given that he’s changed the team’s formation to a 3-4-3 – something many of his players have little experience with. His approach has unsurprisingly impressed Red Devils stars, who have been struck by the “clarity” with which he speaks, as well as his dedication to ensuring they fully grasp his instructions down to the smallest detail.
He has also responded to another long-time issue with a firm hand. During the November international break, Marcus Rashford and Casemiro drew criticism for jetting off to the United States in the middle of the season, having only been given a few days off to rest.
Club legend Gary Neville voiced his disapproval and asked the two-time Primeira Liga-winning manager about his stance on the incident. Amorim, who had to work with a barebones squad last month as many of his players were away on international duty, defended the pair from blame but stated he would not permit such travels in the future.
Speaking about his ban on using international breaks as holiday opportunities, he said: “Would I set a different structure? Yes, for sure. But we cannot put this on the players. They told them they have five days off so they can fly anywhere. Because nobody in the club says you cannot fly. So we cannot, this time, put that on Rash or Case.”
Amorim said about the changes he will implement: “We as a club have to set the standards and manage that. It’s my decision if they can have five days, or three days, or three days to rest and you cannot fly. This is something that us as a club have to decide. So this must be started in the club, with us and me being responsible in that area.”
With his team down in 13th place in the league table ahead of Sunday’s Manchester Derby, ESPN now claims Amorim has implemented a third rule – banning food in the dressing room on matchdays.
It comes after he outlined the need to improve the squad’s physical fitness. Speaking before their defeat to Forest last Saturday, Amorim said it was “impossible” to win the Premier League without a team that doesn’t run.
“You can do a starting line-up with the best players on the planet, without running they also won’t win,” he said. “We have to run like mad dogs, if not we won’t win.”
Amorim’s side, however, will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City with some confidence, having come from behind to beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 on Thursday night, thanks to two Rasmus Hojlund goals.