Ruben Amorim has appointed specialised coaches for each key department of his Manchester United team in a bid to kick-start their season.
The Portuguese coach, 39, has assigned members of his staff to work with defenders, midfielders and forwards in one of the major changes from Erik ten Hag’s work on the training pitches at the club’s Carrington HQ.
Amorim’s approach is seen as a modern way of coaching compared to the traditional method of a first-team coach overseeing entire sessions with the whole squad as they prepare for matches.
When he arrived during the international break, Amorim brought Carlos Fernandes, Jorge Vital, Adelio Candido, Emanuel Ferro and Paulo Barreira with him in his backroom staff, supplementing first-team coaches Darren Fletcher and Andreas Georgson and assistant first-team goalkeeper coach Craig Mawson.
Fernandes’s title is assistant head coach, with the 29-year-old close to Amorim after working with him at Braga and Casa Pia. Vital is goalkeeper coach, while Candido and Ferro are first-team coaches. It is understood the coaches will be focused on specific departments.
Barreira, meanwhile, is physical performance coach for United’s squad, who have started the Amorim era with a draw against Ipswich and Thursday night’s 3-2 Europa League win against Bodo/Glimt.
“The first thing is that half of the stadium doesn’t really know me,” said Amorim after the win. “I came from Portugal – I did nothing for this club yet. So the way they make me feel at home, it’s so special, you know, it’s not after something, it’s before something.
“This is something special. And I will keep this to the end of my career. It’s a special moment in my career, I hope it will be one of the many games here. It’s a great crowd, great supporters. They are hungry for wins, that’s what we want to give them. One more win in Europe, improve the team, show them what we are working on.”
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