Rúben Amorimse could meet a ‘ghost’ from the past before even directing his first game for Manchester United, tomorrow, against Ipswich Town.
This is a phrase he uttered in 2017, recently retired, in an interview with ‘Tribuna Expresso’. He did it without any kind of malice, but, with his arrival at Old Trafford, it becomes valid. Even more so having been Amorim a midfielder.
“I always really liked Zidane and I loved Xabi Alonso. When I played as a ‘six’ I looked at what Xabi and Busquets did,” said the new coach of the ‘red devils’ when asked about his role models.
I always really liked Zidane and I loved Xabi Alonso
Ruben Amorim
The problem comes with the second part of his statement: “I usually have wars with my fellow graduates, because they all really like Casemiro and other players like that and, for that position, I like players with more intelligence than speed to recover the ball and aggressiveness.”
Everyone really likes Casemiro. I like players with more intelligence than speed to recover the ball and aggressiveness
Ruben Amorim
The curiosity, logically, now lies in seeing what lineup Amorim puts in its first game. In the ‘wide zone’, Manuel Ugarte, whom he already had at Sporting CP, seems fixed. We will see if Casemiro accompanies him, as he had been doing with Van Nistelrooy.
The former Madrid player, in any case, happens to be one of United’s fittest players this season. What’s more, he has three goals: two in the League Cup against Leicester and one in the Premier against West Ham.