Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United start delayed over visa wait
Rúben Amorim’s start to his Manchester United career will be delayed until later in the week as paperwork on his visa to work in England has yet to be rubber-stamped.
Amorim is scheduled to fly into the country on Monday after completing his reign at Sporting with a 4-2 win over Braga in the Primeira Liga on Sunday evening, although he will not be able to work on the Carrington training pitches until the final formalities are completed.
“I feel ready for the new challenge,” Amorim told reporters after the match. “I’m not naive, I know it’s going to be very different, very difficult. I’m at peace now, I can focus on my new job and I’m looking forward to starting tomorrow.”
United have most of their squad away on international duty this week, although the club expect paperwork to be completed quickly in any case. The “International Sportsperson visa” has a fast-track decision from the Government which “means you’ll usually get a decision within five working days”.
Amorim, 39, was appointed as Erik ten Hag’s successor on November 1 on a two-and-a-half-year deal and was scheduled to start the week commencing November 11 after serving his notice at Sporting.
“I know it will be difficult to reproduce what I have here elsewhere, but there are other places with different exposure and pressure... It’s been a fantastic adventure,” Amorim added. “I apologise for this mid-season decision, but I felt it was my time and my way.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy has been in charge in a caretaker capacity since Ten Hag’s sacking, finishing with an unbeaten record during his four games which included three wins. He rounded off his short spell in charge with a 3-0 victory against Leicester and will now have talks with United over whether he stays as a coach under Amorim.
“I can only describe that moment, how I felt and as a closure of this block of four games, it felt like a closure and the future is open. That is the way I felt it. It was a beautiful moment to be able to share that with the supporters and special,” said Van Nistelrooy.
“I think it is important to know your role and then things can work. The first months in my role as assistant, I did my role, I know how to support others and as an interim you have to take your responsibility
“I appreciated the clear communication of the club, it was an interim spell for a short term, it could have been one or two, they kept me in the loop, it was four, for me it was important to have that clarity. For me the most important thing is the football club and I am here to support that and I want to continue that. Also the communication was after the block of four, there will be communication towards you and your colleagues.”
Bruno Fernandes’s opener, an own goal from Victor Kristiansen and Alejandro Garnacho’s strike saw off Leicester, who had Jamie Vardy injured and are awaiting further assessment on his back problem. Ricardo Pereira joined Vardy on the sidelines after being ruled out for four months with a hamstring injury.
“He picked up a nasty knock to the back. We’re trying to work out what it is,” said Leicester manager Steve Cooper on Vardy’s problem. On Ricardo’s injury, he admitted: “It is a big blow for him.”
Leicester have not won in four games, with Cooper adding: “The reality, as simple as it sounds, are two shots outside the box. We’ve got to look at ourselves and see we didn’t get enough pressure on the ball. For the third goal the phase of play started from our corner. We never looked like the threat we are capable of. We fell short in both boxes.”