“There won’t be much difference” – Ruben Amorim sent stark warning ahead of Man Utd appointment
Ally McCoist has sent a stark warning to potential new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim about what he’s letting himself in for.
Amorim has quickly emerged as the favourite to take over from Erik ten Hag following the Dutchman’s sacking on Monday.
The 39-year-old took charge of what should be his final Sporting CP game on Tuesday, leading them to a 3-1 win over Nacional in the Taca da Liga.
Amorim will depart Sporting having led the club to two Primeira Liga titles in four years — ending a drought dating back to 2002 — as well as two Taca da Ligas and a Portuguese Super Cup.
Ally McCoist sends Ruben Amorim stark Man Utd warning
While he enjoyed huge success in Lisbon, Amorim will be taking over a completely different animal at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have endured a drastic and prolonged slump in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with fleeting moments of success coming amid miserable Premier League performances.
This season, United have won just four of their 13 matches across all competitions, while in the Premier League, they sit equidistant from the Champions League spots and the relegation zone (7 points) with only eight goals scored in nine matches.
Last campaign, United slipped to eighth in the table and could only watch on as Aston Villa joined Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the top four, while Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle also finished above them.
According to McCoist, it’s getting to the point where United’s performances are turning potential new players off from joining them, instead opting to join rival clubs, even such as Aston Villa.
“Success is missing for them. Champions League – the Champions League is the best competition on the planet in terms of football, that’s what we all want to watch, it’s what the best players want to play in and top coaches want to manage in. Manchester United are a good bit away from that,” said McCoist (via Birmingham Live).
The former Scotland international continued: “Therefore, it makes common sense if the top players [don’t want to play for them]. If the top players got a choice nowadays, go to Arsenal. I’ll even bring Villa into the equation, Liverpool and (Manchester) City obviously, they’re gonna go there because financially it will not be much of a difference to them, missing out on Manchester United.
“Back in the day Manchester United would probably offer more money, winning more football games and playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, right? All three of those have gone now.
“That’s why if somebody has got a choice of going to a club, they’ve got to weigh it up. Financially there won’t be much difference.”