Ruben Amorim's last visit to Old Trafford with his former team Braga serves as a stark reminder of the grit that Manchester United have been lacking. With Erik ten Hag's tenure in Manchester drawing to a close, the search for a successor has now concluded. Earlier this week, Amorim agreed to a deal and has since been unveiled as the club's new manager.
The United board is hopeful that the Portuguese coach - who will arrive on November 11 having penned a deal until 2027 - will instil a hard-fighting work ethic that has seen his Sporting CP side clinch two league titles and three domestic cups - qualities that the current squad seems to be missing.
However, the days when United would easily succumb to opponents - exemplified by their 3-0 defeats to both Liverpool and Tottenham earlier this season - were not always the norm, as demonstrated by Amorim's visit to the Theatre of Dreams during his playing career.
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The newly-appointed United manager played for Braga in the 2012 Champions League, and a trip to Manchester started better than many would have anticipated for he and his team-mates.
Veteran Brazilian forward Alan scored twice within the first 20 minutes to give them a surprising 2-0 lead. However, in typical Sir Alex Ferguson fashion, a comeback seemed imminent when Javier Hernandez reduced the deficit five minutes later.
It wasn't until the 62nd minute that Jonny Evans - who still represents the club - managed to level the score before 'Chicharito' sealed a spirited recovery 15 minutes from time.
The last time United fought back to overturn a two-goal deficit? December 2023, when they secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Boxing Day thanks to Rasmus Hojlund's decisive strike in the 82nd minute. Far too often that wasn't the case under Ten Hag though.
The Dutchman's recent comments about United's 3-0 loss to Tottenham in September summed up their stark lack of fighting spirit. “I ignore that game against Spurs because we were down to 10 with a 1-0 losing position and then the red card (for Bruno Fernandes) was overturned," he said.
If he had no faith in his players fighting back, it's no surprise they're severely lacking in that department. With the arrival of Amorim, there's an air of anticipation that he might extract even more from the squad than Ten Hag managed, especially having witnessed the potential of a fully charged United team.
