New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim takes charge of his first Premier League match this weekend.
The Portuguese agreed to take charge of the English giants following the sacking of Erik ten Hag last month. He arrives at Old Trafford after bidding farewell to Sporting in style, securing a thrilling 4-2 comeback win at his former club Braga – an 11th victory in 11 league games.
He takes charge of a United side in a good space, albeit only recently, having won three of their last four matches under the then interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.
However, Amorim knows his task is cut out at the 20-time English champions, who are languishing 13th in the Premier League table after just four wins from 11 matches.
Amorim had to wait until Monday to begin work with the United players, and also had to contend with limited availability of players due to the international break.
The club revealed that only 10 senior first-team squad members were available for the new manager's first training session at Carrington.
Kobbie Mainoo is returning to fitness following an injury against Aston Villa in October. Amad Diallo also took part in training after missing international duty with Ivory Coast due to a knock picked up against Leicester City.
Defenders Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Leny Yoro were also part of the session, as they aim to regain match fitness.
Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof returned to the club for assessment and treatment after dropping out of the Argentina and Sweden squads, respectively.
Earlier, United released Amorim's first interview with the club's in-house TV channel showing him looking around a floodlit Old Trafford.
"You watch on TV and you know that it's big and it's impressive, but when you are here you can feel it and I think you feel the history," Amorim said.
"I'm really, really proud to be a Manchester United coach, so it's amazing. It's a real honour to be here."
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Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho celebrates with Bruno Fernandes after scoring his side's third goal in the 3-0 Premier League win against Leicester City at Old Trafford on Sunday, November 10. Reuters -
Alejandro Garnacho scores Manchester United's third. Getty Images -
Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho celebrates scoring their third goal with Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee. Reuters -
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scoring the opening goal. EPA -
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes sees his shot deflect off Victor Kristiansen for their second goal. AP -
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates scoring their first goal with Amad Diallo. Action Images -
Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo celebrate Manchester United's first goal. Action Images -
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scores his team's first goal. Getty Images -
Manchester United's interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates his side's first goal against Leicester City in his last game at the helm. Getty Images
When told by the interviewer that there is a "weight to the place but it does lift you up", Amorim added: "That's really funny because I feel very relaxed.
"Maybe because it's not game day. When we have a game I'm a different guy but I really don't feel the weight.
"I'm really excited and I'm quite relaxed you know. I think I am where I am supposed to be. That's the feeling."
Amorim's first match in charge will be away at struggling Ipswich Town on Sunday.
The new manager only has two training sessions with the team before games resume after the international break. However, the 39-year-old Portuguese said instilling a culture was as important as tactics and formations.
"A lot of people talk about the 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 and all that stuff," he said. "But when I think as a player or a teammate of Manchester United, it's not a system of formation, it's the character of the players, the way they see the club. So we have to focus on that before the everything of how we play, how we press.
"The most important thing for me at this moment is to create the principles, the identity and the character that we had in the past."
Amorim has been credited with having a charisma that Ten Hag lacked, while United captain Bruno Fernandes praised the coach's ability to connect with players, saying that was obvious in the outpouring of emotion from Sporting players after it was announced he was leaving.
