Arsenal legend Paul Merson has warned incoming Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim that he is taking “five steps up” from Sporting.
Amorim will replace Erik ten Hag as Red Devils head coach after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday.
Ten Hag’s final match in charge was a 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday which left Man Utd 14th in the Premier League with three wins, two draws and four losses from their opening nine top-flight encounters.
Several managers have been linked with the Old Trafford job but Amorim quickly emerged as the frontrunner following the 54-year-old’s departure.
The Portuguese has won two league titles with Sporting and masterminded a Europa League knockout stage victory over Arsenal in 2023.
Managing Man Utd is a different kettle of fish and former Arsenal midfielder and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Merson has warned Amorim that he is taking “five steps up”.
“He’s done amazing at Sporting,” Merson told Sky Sports. “This is going to be different. No disrespect. They play against Porto and Benfica and that’s it.
“He’s coming in to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world. We’ve seen it with Ten Hag: brilliant at Ajax, come to Man Utd, win one, draw one, lose one and you’re under pressure. There’s a lot of work to be done. This is five steps up.
“Will Amorim be different to the managers who have gone before? I don’t know if he will. He’s managed in Portugal, done everything right, his team did very well against Arsenal last year. But this is different. It’s hard to explain.
MORE ON MAN UTD FROM F365:
👉 Man Utd interim Van Nistelrooy ‘very motivated’ to work with Amorim: ‘That’s my absolute goal’
👉 Sod Amorim: Manchester United are back, Ruud’s at the wheel and history is repeating itself
👉 ‘Double reject’ Amorim is a Manchester United improvement on ‘frankly deranged’ Ten Hag
“We’ve seen with all these managers, you’re under severe pressure every game. As a football team they’re nowhere near those heights. One of the biggest football clubs in the world with a just-above-average football team. I can’t emphasise enough how far they are behind the big boys at the moment.”
Merson adds that Man Utd are miles off challenging for the Premier League title. Asked what Amorim’s first priority should be, he replied: “Getting the players to understand the way they want to play.
📣 Is Ruben Amorim the right man for the job? Give us your thoughts Below The Line…
“I watch Man Utd play and there hasn’t been identity there for a long time now. He has to come in, get his ideas across and start playing as a team.
“They don’t press together. He has to get everybody understanding the way he wants to play. I don’t think anyone could sit there and tell me what Man Utd were trying to do. Chelsea against Newcastle, you know what they’re trying to do. That manager has been in there two or three months.
“They’ve got to learn how to walk first. There are going to be some great times in the next two or three months where they play scintillating football and win games but it’s going to be up and down. I don’t know how long it is going to take but it won’t happen overnight on a consistent basis.”
