New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes that he is the right man to revive the ailing English giants’ fortunes, as he prepares for his Premier League debut at Ipswich Town on Nov 24.

The 39-year-old was hired from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after a dismal start to the season left United languishing in 13th place in the table.

Amorim is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe after leading Sporting to a pair of Portuguese titles during his four years in Lisbon. He left the team this season with a perfect 11 wins.

United, meanwhile, have won just four of their 11 league games this term, extending a malaise that has set in since they last won the Premier League in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge in 2013.

Asked if he believes he can eventually restore the Red Devils to the summit of English football, Amorim said on Nov 22: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself. I believe in the club, we have the same mindset.

“I truly believe in the players, I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do.”

After arriving in Manchester during the international break, he will finally get his first taste of the Premier League when United travel to struggling Ipswich.

He is trying to succeed where David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ten Hag all failed by bringing the title back to Old Trafford.

The Portuguese is adamant reviving United is not an impossible job, despite a difficult combination of high expectations and underperforming squad.

“Call me naive, but I truly believe that I’m the right guy in the right moment,” he added.

Amorim was speaking to the media for the first time since taking charge on Nov 11.

The packed press conference room at United’s Carrington training ground underlined what he has already started to realise about the size and global reach of the 20-time English champions.

“It’s bigger than I imagined. There’s a lot of departments, it’s so much different than Sporting, and Sporting is a big club in Portugal,” he said. “This you feel is a global club, so you have so much to do.”

His rise has been compared to the early success enjoyed by compatriot Mourinho at Porto.

Mourinho took English football by storm when appointed Chelsea boss in 2004, shortly after guiding Porto to Champions League glory.

“He sent me a message saying it’s a big club with lovely people, and he’s correct, it still is,” Amorim said of Mourinho.

“With all the Portuguese coaches, we’ve shown that we can be the best in the world. I’m different from Mourinho. He was a European champion, I am not.

“Football is different nowadays, I think I am the right person for this moment. I am a young guy and I try to use this to help my players.”

Amorim’s confidence extends to his tactics and he is ready to stick with his preferred 3-4-3 system despite players who might not be suited to the formation.

“I prefer to risk a little bit,” he said. “We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profile.

“This team was built for a different system. It’s not evolution or revolution, it’s a change in the way we play football.”

Despite having had just two training sessions with his new team because of the international break, Amorim promises fans will see a difference, but not a major overhaul, when they take the Portman Road pitch.

“Simple things I think,” Amorim also said during his lengthy press conference. “We lose the ball too often. We have to be better at running back and we have to be very good in the details.

“We have to improve in a lot of areas. We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. We have to improve a lot to try to win the title.”

-AFP/ Reuters

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2027, the Premier League champions said on Thursday.

Spaniard Guardiola’s decision means he will spend more than a decade at the club he joined in 2016 and has led to a dazzling array of silverware, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League crown.

The news will be welcomed by City’s fans who might have feared the Guardiola era was drawing to a close with his current deal expiring at the end of this season.

“Manchester City means so much to me,” the 53-year-old, who previously had successful spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, said in a statement.

“This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”

Guardiola joined Abu Dhabi-owned City in 2016 and has turned them into a trophy-winning machine.

He has guided City to 18 major trophies and established a brand of football that is admired across the globe. This season has brought a slight dip in form, however, and they are on a four-match losing streak, the worst since Guardiola arrived.

“I felt I could not leave now, simple as that,” the manager added. “I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, a chance to bounce back and try to turn the situation around.

“I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it’s the truth.

“I enjoy being here. I like being the manager of this club. The moment I will not have that feeling, even under contract, I will ring my chairman and CEO and say the best for the club right now is I have to leave,” he added.

“I don’t have that feeling right now and that’s why I extended a little bit longer.”

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement, “Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City will continue; allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game,”

“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our Club, and the English game at large.”

British media reported on Wednesday that Guardiola had agreed a one-year extension but his tenure will now stretch past a decade is a massive boost for the club which is under investigation for more than 100 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-year period.

City deny all the charges against them.

They are five points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table but Guardiola sounded an upbeat note.

“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much,” he said. “Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

-Reuters

Manchester United begin what they hope will be a journey back towards their former glory as new head coach Ruben Amorim takes charge for the first time away at Ipswich Town on Sunday.

As the Premier League returns after the international stoppage, United’s trip to Portman Road offers the most intriguing storyline of a packed weekend of action.

While United’s fans will travel to Suffolk with fresh hope after years of decline, Manchester City’s are perhaps still in a state of mild shock at a four-match losing streak.

Champions City, boosted by the news that manager Pep Guardiola has signed a contract extension, have fallen five points behind leaders Liverpool, but will aim to return to business as usual at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Liverpool, whose own new era under Arne Slot has begun in sensational style with 15 wins from 17 in all competitions, go to bottom club Southampton on Sunday.

Arsenal, like City, also need an urgent re-boot after a haul of only two points from the last 12 on offer in the league has left them in fourth spot, nine points behind Liverpool.

Amorim, whose Sporting side demolished Manchester City in the Champions League in what was his final home game in charge for the Lisbon club, will need to hit the ground running.

United are languishing down in 13th place with only four wins from their first 11 games, although in a tightly-packed table they are only four points off the top four.

Amorim is the sixth full-time occupant of the Old Trafford hot seat since Alex Ferguson left 11 years ago and he knows the scrutiny will be far more intense than anything he has experienced so far in his coaching career.

“You feel the history and I’m really proud to be Manchester United’s coach,” Amorim told MUTV.

“I think I am where I’m supposed to be. That’s the feeling.”

United will travel to an Ipswich side buoyed by a 2-1 victory at Tottenham before the international break — their first win since promotion back to the top flight.

City’s run of poor form coincided with the loss of several players because of injuries but they could be boosted by the return of Kevin De Bruyne for the visit of Tottenham.

The Belgian playmaker has started only four of City’s 11 league games this season, with City winning all of them. The other seven garnered only 11 points.

Tottenham have taken inconsistency to new levels this season, beating the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa, but also losing to Crystal Palace and Ipswich.

The north London club have a track record of causing problems for City, although they will be without midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur who is serving a seven-match ban for using a racial slur against team mate Son Heung-min.

Third-placed Chelsea begin the weekend’s fixtures on Saturday with manager Enzo Maresca returning to Leicester City who he guided back to the top flight last season.

“I’m excited and thankful (to return), it was a fantastic season,” Maresca said.

-Reuters