This was a highly accomplished and assured first media conference by Ruben Amorim, whose confidence was immediately apparent as he strode purposefully into a packed room at Carrington with a smile and “hi guys” to the assembled journalists, before fielding a host of questions from both English and Portuguese reporters.
In recognition of the limited time the coach has had in his new surroundings, United had chosen to stage a normal pre-match media briefing at the training ground, rather than a more formal Old Trafford unveiling of the kind previous new managers such as Erik ten Hag had held.
But this felt very different to the strained and adversarial media conferences that became a weekly feature of the final months of Ten Hag’s tenure at Old Trafford.
Speaking in fluent English, Amorim seemed to relish the opportunity to articulate how he is feeling. Smiling throughout, he made clear his belief both in himself and in his players, claiming he was “the right guy at the right time”.
But he also acknowledged the scale of the task he faces here after years of decline, and the need for his team to improve.
However, he also firmly rejected the suggestion this was ‘the impossible job’. “Of course not,” he said.
Amorim is the first managerial hire since Ineos took over the football operations at Old Trafford – so a lot is resting on him. It was noticeable that Tom Crotty – a senior director at the petrochemicals company – and a trusted advisor to billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in attendance.
However, if the coach was feeling the pressure that comes with that, and from being in one of the most scrutinised coaching roles in world football, he did not show it.
At the end, Amorim embraced several Portuguese reporters who had travelled to cover his first media appearance. Whether he forges such close bonds with their British counterparts remains to be seen.
But based on this first performance, communication will not be a problem for the coach.
