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Manchester United legend David Beckham has expressed confidence that Ruben Amorim will come good at the club, as he urged the hierarchy, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, to support the Portuguese coach.
Amorim has endured an extremely difficult time since he succeeded Erik ten Hag in November last year. He has only won six of the 26 Premier League games he has taken charge of, with United currently languishing in 16th place in the table.
United have lost 18 top-flight games, nine of which have come at home. To say it has been a disastrous season would be a massive understatement.
However, the Red Devils still have a chance to win a trophy for a third consecutive season when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Europa League on Wednesday.
Beating Tottenham would not only secure United another major piece of silverware, but it would also guarantee them a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Ahead of the final, The Athletic spoke to Beckham, who gave his verdict on the state of affairs at Old Trafford and what should happen to Amorim.
Beckham said, “It has not been a great season and I think that’s being kind. When there hasn’t been stability at the club, it shows. We were lucky to be part of the most stable club with the same manager, owner, fans and players there for many years. We know when you have stability within the club, you have success. Simple as that.”
“I believe that we have a very good manager now. I believe that we have a lot of people who are trying to bring stability around the club. What our fans care about most, though, is what happens on the field and what is happening on the field, people are not liking — our fans are not liking.”
“But the one thing is, our supporters turn up week after week. There are 74,000 fans in that stadium no matter what, no matter how we’re playing or who’s playing. The manager knows that, the manager understands that. It’s why I like Ruben and I think he has got a real opportunity here.”
Beckham insisted that Amorim’s experience from his time at Sporting CP will be a major advantage in his bid to restore United to their past glories.
There have been suggestions that United could offload the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho or Kobbie Mainoo to generate funds for a rebuild.
Fernandes is attracting interest from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, who are believed to be ready to offer a British record fee to land the playmaker. Meanwhile, any proceeds gained from selling Garnacho or Mainoo would go down as “pure profit” on the club’s books because of their status as homegrown stars.
However, Beckham has warned against such transfers, pointing out that finances and profit should never dictate what happens on the pitch.
“I think Ruben definitely needs to be backed in bringing in the players he wants but I actually don’t know how possible it is. I don’t speak to Jim that often, only from time to time.”
“Ruben needs to be backed as a manager to bring in his team and his philosophy; he’s trying that already but I think once he brings his team in and his players, then you’ll see something different. I’d like to think you wouldn’t have to sell your captain (Fernandes). He has been exceptional. We’ve all been critical at times of some United players — but when we needed someone to step up, he has done it.”
The former England international continued, “I also hate (the idea of) any young player who has grown up at United leaving the club. We shouldn’t be selling players purely for financial reasons.”
“It should be what they are doing on the field and if they’re not performing, there’s always a chance — we all knew that, I knew that. If I wasn’t performing on the pitch, it didn’t matter what I’d done in the past or what I was going to do in the future; there was a good chance that I was either going to get left on the bench, or I was going to get sold.”
On Amorim’s stubborn nature and insistence that he won’t compromise on his principles, Beckham remarked that this is a good thing. In fact, Beckham revealed that he respects Amorim for it, as it is evidence that he is confident of his methods.
The ex-midfielder explained that it’s likely Amorim will make a few tweaks and changes when the opportunity presents itself.
Asked about some of the controversial policies Ratcliffe has implemented since assuming operational control of United, Beckham refused to give a detailed answer, emphasising that he prefers to stay out of it because of the emotional attachment he has to the club and the people who are there.
Feature image Rich Storry via Getty Images
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