- Paul Scholes initially had reservations about Ruben Amorim’s appointment
- Now, the Man United legend is wholly convinced and ‘can’t wait’ for him to start
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Paul Scholes has admitted he is ‘really excited’ about Ruben Amorim and believes the manager is a ‘real coup’ for Manchester United, despite initially urging his old club to hold off on appointing him.
The Red Devils legend, who was on punditry duty with TNT Sports during Manchester United’s 2-0 win over PAOK at Old Trafford on Thursday, waxed lyrical about the incoming Portuguese boss, who is set to begin in his new role on Monday.
Amorim made the perfect statement to Red Devils fans by triumphing 4-1 over perennial Premier League champions Manchester City at the Jose Alvalade Stadium on Tuesday, outclassing Pep Guardiola thanks to a superb hat-trick from Sporting’s in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Despite initially having reservations, Scholes made a clear U-turn on his view of Amorim and admitted he ‘couldn’t wait’ for the former Sporting manager to join.
‘I am really excited about it,’ Scholes told TNT Sports.
‘We have been in for managers and players who we haven’t really had any competition to try to sign.
‘Especially some of the players where there are not the likes of Barcelona, Man City and Liverpool – the big clubs being after them.
‘I think with Ruben Amorim, everyone is looking and they are a little bit jealous, because I think some of them really, really wanted him.
‘I know he has been spoken about with City once Pep goes, so he has been thought of in that high regard.
‘That is something we haven’t really had before. We had (Louis) van Gaal, who getting a big job at that stage of his career was a surprise.
‘For (Jose) Mourinho, it was probably his last big job and it was a bit surprising for the Chelsea rivalry.’
‘This is the first one where you think, “yes, this is a real coup”. We have got in there ahead of three, four, five top clubs around Europe and it is exciting. I can’t wait for him to come.’
Only last week, Scholes admitted he was unsure about Manchester United hiring the Portuguese, fearing that Amorim’s appointment too closely resembled that of recently sacked manager Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman, despite winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his time at Old Trafford, failed to deliver on expectations in the Premier League, finishing eighth last campaign and slipping to 14th after nine games before his axe last month.
Ten Hag joined the club in 2022 following a successful spell at Ajax, which included three Eredivisie titles and a run to the Champions League semi-final in 2019.
‘I agree on Ruben Amorim – it [the hype] feels a bit like Erik ten Hag [when he joined Manchester United],’ the Red Devils legend said last month before the appointment was confirmed, speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.
‘I know he’s meant to sign in the coming days and hours, but Sporting play Manchester City next week, and Arsenal in the next three or four weeks – it might be a chance to give him a public interview, and see how he handles the media, see how his team plays.
‘In England, we don’t watch a lot of Portuguese football, so we don’t know too much. We see them a bit in European football, and all the things we hear about him are good – exciting football, three at the back and possession based — something United don’t really do. If he comes in to do that, it could be exciting.’
Needless to say, Amorim has more than passed his audition – and by hiring the coach ahead of the upcoming international break, rather than waiting for Sporting to play Arsenal in a few weeks as Scholes suggested – Man United have given him time to impress his ideas on the squad.
Reflecting on City’s defeat, Scholes urged that Amorim’s biggest priority is changing the mentality at Old Trafford.
He said: ‘(Sporting) looked really good, they looked fresh, threatening. There was a desire, a hunger that probably hasn’t been seen here (at Old Trafford) so he’s going to have to change the mentality as soon as he comes into this place.
‘He looks like he’s got the character, a good smile and I actually saw an interview where he said he wants to come and ‘have fun’. That is not something that has been associated with this club for quite some time.
‘I think it’s going to be quite easy for him to get this team five or six places up. They finished eighth last year so he’s not got to do much to beat that.
‘The question for me is how can he get this team competing for Champions League places at the very, very least. And then he’ll have to take that next step to challenge for the league title.’
Man United take on Leicester at Old Trafford for the final match under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy on Sunday.
