EXCLUSIVE: How Man United boss stared down the grim reaper as Peacock goes one-on-one with Amorim
Tuesday morning, Australian time, Ruben Amorim starts his second year as Manchester United manager.
Feels like an achievement.
Last season; 15th and Europa League final heartbreak.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. Getty
This season; League Cup loss to Grimsby Town had the grim reaper lurking. Three defeats in six to start the Premier League season.
"The most important thing is that I learned a lot," Amorim candidly told Stan Sport this week ahead Everton's trip to Old Trafford.
"I think I'm a better manager now, I'm ready for the future, I'm ready for the present.
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"Really tough journey but now I can see that it was necessary."
In an exclusive interview with Stan Sport this week, Amorim spoke with a real sense of clarity about what he's survived, and what might be next.
Where Amorim feels especially vindicated - for now - is that his devotion to a 3-4-3 formation wasn't the reason the grim reaper lurked.
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"The formation is not the problem," Amorim maintains.
"Because the formation is the start of something, it's the dynamic, the confidence, how we play the game, how competitive we are.
"Look at the games we struggled with this year, for me it was not about the formation, it was about the lack of intensity."
Ruben Amorim chats to Stan Sport's Adam Peacock. Stan
It's evident since Brentford, intensity has parlayed into confidence, and vice versa.
The streak is five unbeaten.
Part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has stridently backed his man, calling for calm and true judgement to come after three years.
Avram Glazer, Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Alex Ferguson look on from the stands. Getty
"I"m not worried that I'm going to lose my job," Amorim syas.
"(Ratcliffe's backing is) a good thing to hear, but it won't change anything in the way I behave, the options that I would have. I know clearly what path I have to go."
"It's more important for the fans to understand we have a clear path, and we are going to do everything. No matter what, we are going to continue that path."
Ruben Amorim speaks to the media. Getty
With the sense of emergency easing, Amorim is starting to delve into the greater details of Manchester United, the club.
The weight of history stares at him in the manager's office at Old Trafford, where the photos of every manager in club history adorn the walls.
Every one of those faces since 1937 has contributed to a remarkable record.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, tells the referee to check his watch. Getty
Over a remarkable 4321-game streak, Manchester United has named at least one academy product on every team sheet.
Amorim has kept that streak going - only just - and while sentiment is one thing, modern day realities also have the development of players at the forefront of his plans.
"Like any club in the world, but especially here in England with the (financial) fair play, the players that you can put in the first team to fill the badge, but maybe the players who are not good enough to play for Manchester United but can give us some money to sell to try to compensate the financial fair play to buy different players.
"I think the future of our club is going to be the academy. We need to be really focused on that."
Manchester United need only look at their rivals across town, to understand how valuable a robust system can be. In the past six years alone, Manchester City have sold over AUD$650 million worth of talent from the academy to market. These are players who never, or barely, touched the first team.
As much as Australian football is excited about the prospect of 19-year-old James Overy becoming an Old Trafford regular, the Perth product is exactly the type of player Manchester United need to develop.
Manchester United's James Overy at Carrington Training Ground. Manchester United via Getty Imag
Overy didn't play a minute during the recent Socceroos games against Venezuela and Colombia - his first camp with the national team - but has trained with Manchester United's first team.
At the moment Overy is playing Under 21's games, so a loan move in January to play senior football in the lower divisions is a distinct possibility.
Not that Amorim is keen to talk too heavily about Overy, or, more to the point, any unproven talent specifically.
James Overy of Australia poses during the FIFA U-20 World Cup portrait session. FIFA via Getty Images
Making it in the Premier League is a complex matter. And so is staying there.
"It's an honour to play for Manchester United," Amorim says.
"Sometimes some kids take that for granted.
Ruben Amorim chats to Stan Sport's Adam Peacock. Stan
"Then you have to look to play in the Premier League, the physicality is not something you can run from. You have to pay attention to that.
"Then you have to help the kids to cope with the media attention… to be really careful, when one kid makes one game not to make a big deal of that.
"We had some issues with that in the past where we did that, and did that wrong. And then, the most important thing is the talent, and working hard."
