Manchester United are standing by Ruben Amorim and want him at the helm when they unveil their state-of-the-art £2billion stadium. Despite Amorim’s recent hints at uncertainty regarding his long-term prospects, following a rocky start that sees United lingering in 14th place in the Premier League, chief executive Omar Berrada has expressed his desire for Amorim to remain in charge.
Berrada anticipates Amorim leading the team out in their new home in five years, underscoring his confidence in the manager’s vision. “We’d love to open the new stadium with Ruben as our coach,” Berrada said. “I think it’s risky if you have a coach who doesn’t have a clear idea of how he wants to play – and with Ruben we don’t see that risk.”
Berrada elaborated on the club’s recruitment strategy, which focuses on acquiring versatile players capable of adapting to various systems. “When it comes to our recruitment strategy, the idea we have is to be able to bring in versatile players that can be adaptable to multiple systems,” he added.
Berrada pointed out that Amorim’s approach prioritizes a possession-based, attacking style of football, rather than adhering to a specific formation: “Ruben himself has said it, it’s not about the 3-4-3 tactical formation, it’s about an idea, a concept of how he wants to see the team playing.
“He wants to see the team playing more on the front foot, more of a possession, attacking-based style of football.”
To achieve this, the club aims to recruit players who can thrive in multiple positions and align with Amorim’s vision.
Additionally, Berrada acknowledged that securing a Champions League spot for next season, potentially by winning the Europa League, would significantly enhance their recruitment efforts this summer.
“There’s no doubt that if we qualify for the Champions League, we will have more revenues and we’ll have more capacity to invest in the team,” the CEO continued.
“But we’re putting in place various financial measures to allow us to go and invest at the summer, even if we’re outside of Europe.
“Ultimately, what we want to do is to be more efficient in our investment in the squad. So just because we’ll have more revenues to invest if we’re in the Champions League, it doesn’t mean we’re going to go and over-invest.
“We need to be cautious and we need to try to make as many good decisions as we can in recruitment. Also, when it comes to sales, we will do it purely on the basis of whether or not it helps improve the team, not for financial reasons.”
This article first appeared on The Mirror.