LONDON: Bruno Fernandes hopes new manager Ruben Amorim can “inject energy” at Manchester United’s troubled club after the Portuguese coach arrived at the English Premier League (EPL) club.
Amorim arrived at the Carrington training center last Monday for a meeting but cannot begin training until his work permit is confirmed.
The 39-year-old coach, the successor to the sacked Erik ten Hag, steered Sporting Lisbon to two titles in four seasons and left them with 11 wins in 11 league games this season.
“Sometimes someone can change the energy of a place, if it’s at the right time,” Fernandes, who left Sporting shortly before Amorim took over, told MUTV.
“We hope he can come and this is the right moment for him to come and inject his energy, bringing with him his quality and knowledge in football, because he has done something really special at Sporting.
“If anyone doubts it, it’s about looking at the past. Sporting didn’t win the league for about 20 years and he helped them win the league again and he won it twice in four years with a young team in a moment of change.”
Captain Fernandes said managing United, who have not won the EPL since 2013, would be a bigger challenge than the job at Sporting.
“Obviously you can’t bring or change what he did at Sporting here, because you have different players, you have a different way of playing and everything,” he said.
“I am quite confident that the idea of football that he has, independent of the way he wants to play, will be a good idea and it will lead to success for us.”
Amorim is the sixth permanent manager appointed since Alex Ferguson’s 27-year reign ended in 2013.
United sit 13th in the EPL after a poor start to the season but are only four points behind the top four.
Amorim’s first action will be at Ipswich on November 24 right after the international match.