Rob DawsonJul 28, 2025, 03:30 PM ET
Rob DawsonJul 28, 2025, 03:30 PM ET
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CHICAGO — Ruben Amorim arrived in the U.S. forManchester United’s preseason tour with a smile back on his face.
It had disappeared by the end of last season. In his postmatch news conference after the painful1-0 defeattoTottenham Hotspurin theUEFA Europa Leaguefinal on May 21, the Portuguese coach looked like a beaten man.
He snapped back at reporters who suggested the performance in Bilbao, Spain, had been poor, even offering to walk away without compensation if the board decided he wasn’t right for the job.
But time back in Portugal with his family during his summer break has allowed for a reset and at the start of a pivotal summer for the club, Amorim looks relaxed and content. He was back in his usual jovial mood during training at the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field, pointing and laughing at physical performance coach Charlie Owen as Owen modeled a striking silver cooling jacket the players will wear after warmups and at halftime to help moderate their body temperature.
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preseason tour: Amorim’s goals, players to watch
There was some mild frustration that it took longer than expected to bring inBryan Mbeumo. But with theCamerooninternational andMatheus Cunhanow signed, Amorim’s demand that more goal scorers be added to the squad has been met. United managed just 44 goals in thePremier Leaguelast season — Cunha and Mbeumo scored 35 between them for Wolves andBrentford, respectively.
There are other positions Amorim would like addressed — primarily, center forward and central midfield — but he wants to remain cautious.
There’s an acceptance throughout the club that it’s just as important to avoid signing the wrong players as it is to sign the right ones. “I think our club, in this moment, we need to be really careful when we sign a player,” Amorim said at his first news conference of the summer.
It’s not lost on Amorim that one of the biggest issues United face in the window is trying to offloadAntonyandJadon Sancho– two players signed for a combined £160 million within the past four years. A year ago, Erik ten Hag was forced into an uneasy truce with Sancho, who was included in the Dutchman’s touring squad despite spending nearly 10 months in exile.
The feeling was that reintegrating Sancho would help keep his value up while the club looked to move him on; Ten Hag, however, felt it could come across as a dent to his authority after initially taking such a hardline stance.
Amorim has made it clear that Sancho, Antony,Alejandro GarnachoandTyrell Malaciaare all surplus to requirements, and he has already won the backing of the board. Instead of Amorim being asked to keep them as part of the group, all four players have been left at home.
It’s a strong statement that the standards set by Amorim and his staff are being prioritized above anything else. During conversations with Cunha and Mbeumo, Amorim was keen to find out why they were motivated to move to Old Trafford.
He was impressed that they both turned down clubs in the Champions League to sign for United. He wants only players who are committed to the club.
“From day one of preseason, it’s about standards and details,”Mason Mountsaid. “Obviously on the pitch and off the pitch and really focusing on us as a group and what we need to do to be better and to perform.
[Amorim] is massive on details.”
Source: Espnsoccer
