New Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, who is set to start life at Old Trafford on 24 November against Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town, was once given a one-year ban from management in the early days of his career on the other side of the white line.
His appointment comes after Erik ten Hag was relieved of his duties by Sir Jim Ratfcliffe and his INEOS-led team following a hodgepodge start to the 2024/25 campaign – both domestically and on the European stage.
Amorim will be hoping to turn the 13-time Premier League champions’ fortunes around after what has been a dismal start to the campaign which, ultimately, was the straw the broke the camel’s back in terms of Ten Hag’s reign.
Despite being the tender age of 39, thus becoming the Red Devils’ youngest chief since the 1960s, Amorim has been in and around management for six years after hanging up his playing boots in April 2017.
What fans of the Old Trafford outfit can expect is a manager, albeit still in the infancy of his career, who is tactically astute and evidently capable at the top level – but he’s not always been the best-behaved tactician.
Amorim’s first foray into the world of management came in 2018 for Casa Pia – a club residing in the third tier of Portuguese football. Not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but his rise to the top is a testament to his tactical and personable know-how.
His time at Casa Pia didn’t last as long as many had expected, however, and he resigned in January after being slapped with a one-year ban after handing out instructions during a match without the Portuguese Football Federation-required coaching badges, per The Athletic.
All while the club were threatened with a points’ deduction, the now-Red Devils man was forced to hand in his notice before the end of the campaign as they faced further punishment for Amorim’s mishap. Incredibly, Casa Pia eventually achieved promotion.
Later in 2019, Amorim made his return to the touchline with Braga’s reserve team, winning seven of his first eight games in charge, before replacing the outgoing first-team manager Ricardo Sa Pinto.
Catching the eye of Sporting CP’s top brass, he made the switch – thus becoming one of the most expensive managers in football history – to one of his nation’s biggest clubs in March 2020 and has gone on to become a two-time Portuguese champion.