Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed confidence in Ruben Amorim’s ability to thrive as the new boss of Manchester United, drawing parallels to his praise of Erik ten Hag when the Dutchman took over at Old Trafford two years ago.
Amorim made headlines earlier this season by defeating Guardiola’s City while managing Sporting Lisbon.
After leaving Sporting in November to replace the sacked Ten Hag, Amorim has made an immediate impact.
Under his leadership, Man United have recorded three wins, two losses, and a draw in his first six matches.
This Sunday, the Portuguese tactician faces his biggest test yet as he prepares to go head-to-head with Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
Ahead of the derby clash, Guardiola said: “He will do a good job at Man United, for sure.
“His influence is already there.
“All the patterns, they start to do it.
“How good the movements everyone does it and the runners, the pace.”
Almost two years ago to the day, Guardiola expressed his belief that Ten Hag was the right man to bring the good times back to Old Trafford.
“I have the feeling United are coming back, finally United is coming back,” he said.
“I’ve seen it against Chelsea, the first half. I said I like what I see of United right now.”
Guardiola may secretly hope to be proven wrong again, though he’s undoubtedly got more pressing concerns.
Man City have astonishingly won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions, including a 4-1 defeat to Amorim’s Sporting.
Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League followed a frustrating 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace, leaving City in fourth place.
The four-time Premier League champions are already eight points behind leaders Liverpool, who have played one game fewer.
As for United, they’re languishing in 13th after a disastrous start to the 2024-25 season.
Amorim is cautious about a potential response from Man City. He said: “The great teams can respond at any moment.
“And I think they are in a better place than us in the type of understanding the game, the way they play, the confidence they have.
“Even in these kind of moments, we have a lot to focus on our team.
“So our focus is total of course, we will have a strategy: try to win the game with the strategy like it should be. But we are focused just on our team.”
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