Manchester United fans will welcome their new boss Ruben Amorim and hope he’ll have more success than the previous one. And the one before him. And the one before that. And so on.
Managing – or rather coaching since Amorim’s title is now ‘head coach’ marking a departure from the term ‘manager’ – United is one of the toughest jobs in football at one of the biggest clubs in football. The pressures are unique, the expectations high, the dressing room an incredibly complex one which is difficult to manage. Or coach.
Fans are baffled and bewildered, their addiction rewarded with occasional bewitching moments amid confusion about the direction the club is taking.
For years in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, fans have cheered almost every player departure out of the door and constantly demanded that deadwood is shifted, but little changes. United went from a norm where finishing third was a failure to where it’s now considered at the top of their realistic aims.
Erik ten Hag lost his job because the INEOS-led decision makers at the club think there’s a better man to do it. They also think that a top-four finish should be the new coach’s target this season.
There’s a transfer window in January, but United is a loss-making football club already pushing spending to the limits. When those new players arrive, every one is heralded as a probable improvement on the ones they’ve replaced and a brighter future is imagined, yet United haven’t sustained a single league title challenge since the last win in 2013.
From Angel Di Maria to Jadon Sancho, hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent – most say squandered – on big name footballing stars, but United is a talent-reducing, reputation-denting factory where the highs are occasional and the managers survive for two and a bit years.
All those managers have been supported – by the club and fans – but they reach a point where it’s realised that a Premier League title challenge is a bridge too far. And so the next man arrives, fresh with his own ideas and smiles throughout the honeymoon period that follows.
“How many days will it take for us to see the significant changes that you’ve planned?” one journalist asked a previous manager Louis van Gaal in 2014.
“100 days,” he replied confidently. That Dutchman oversaw a huge turnover of players, though he was frustrated that he couldn’t bring in the very best players, much like Erik ten Hag was when he wanted striker Harry Kane in 2023. With their appeal trimmed by a lack of success and wealthier rivals, United, while still desirable, don’t have the pull they enjoyed for decades.
Erik ten Hag's United reign - in pictures
Amorim has a huge task. He’ll get support and patience and the bar can’t be any lower than it is right now with United struggling to win, score and 14th in the league, but he must make significant improvements.
Strikers are a huge problem for United. Rivals can alternate their forwards, United have eight goals in nine league games. Chelsea, Sunday’s visitors to Old Trafford, have 19. Oh for the goals of legendary striker Ruud van Nistelrooy who now finds himself in charge of the team for the next three games. His team did score five in his first game, a League Cup match against a weakened Leicester City side on Wednesday.
Injuries battered United last season and this. They’ve been a factor in the team regressing to the levels of the 1980s, when success came in domestic cups but not the league.
The 2024 team plays well in patches, such as in the first half at West Ham last week in what was Ten Hag’s final game, but struggles to follow game plans and structures for 90 minutes.
Old Trafford does see very talented young players including Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund who should get better with experience, but the team is far from a vintage one. They’ve been capable of big performances and even bigger moments such as the surprise win against Manchester City in the 2024 FA Cup final, but there is no quick fix for this dressing room.
United’s new INEOS-led decision makers have set a target of the Premier League title by 2028, the year England’s biggest club celebrates 150 years. Things change in football – sometimes quickly – but United look miles behind the leading sides right now in terms of squad quality.
Amorim’s freshness, confidence and ideas will be appreciated. His Sporting side play aggressive attacking football in a competitive league, albeit one outside the big five in Europe. There is no tougher league than the Premier League.
His Sporting team is – and it’s still ‘is’ since he’ll stay in charge until he joins United on November 11 – adaptable and he’ll meet new players who are tactically flexible, although, paradoxically, several members of the squad have bristled at the tactical ideas of just about every United boss they’ve worked under.
It’s unclear which formation he will bring to United – Amorim’s Sporting side played a fluid 3-4-3 shape with rotations on the flanks against top sides. Out of possession, Sporting dropped into a 5-4-1 shape and condensed the spaces to good effect.
Amorim will leave beautiful Lisbon, and with the nights and cold closing in, he’s not arriving in Manchester in the best month, but it’s the time of year when United bosses lose their jobs.
He’ll be hoping he’s not in the same position in two years, though he won’t have to deal with some of the issues Ten Hag faced like an unsettling strategic review as the club’s future ownership was sorted out throughout 2023. That led to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s team being put in charge of running the football club and fans are supportive of them. The new boss and his coaches should find a more solid football structure, but he’ll need to show incredible leadership skills managing up and down if United are to change.
Maybe it’ll change, it has to change one day and Amorim comes with an unblemished CV – as Ten Hag did when he moved to Old Trafford from Ajax in 2022.
At 39 he’s young, bright, charismatic and turned Sporting from failures to the best team in Portugal. It’s not just trophies where he can be judged a success. He joined a club who’d just sold their best player, Bruno Fernandes, to Manchester United in 2020, but still brought players through who were sold for vast profits: Manuel Ugarte was sold to PSG (and later Man United) for €60 million, Pedro Porro to Tottenham for €40m, Yousef Chermiti to Everton for €12.5m and Tiago Tomas to Wolfsburg in 2023. The year before Matheus Nunes moved to Wolves for €47m, Joao Palhinha to Fulham for €24.9m, Nuno Mendes to PSG for €38m plus a loan fee. This year, Abdul Fatawa moved to Leicester for €17m, Mateus Fernandes to Southampton for €15m, Paulinho to Toluca for €8m.
Even more impressive were the 21 players he promoted from Sporting’s youth team into the first XI. The value of Sporting’s squad was €175m when he took over in March 2020. It’s €444m today, more than Porto’s €352m and Benfica’s €336m, traditionally Portugal’s two biggest clubs with the best track record of selling players. Amorim brought prize money from European runs where they eliminated Arsenal in 2023 and narrowly lost to Juventus.
If the same thing had been happening at United, the club wouldn’t have needed to lay off 250 staff as they have done so far in 2024, but United, even despite their potential capacity to generate revenue, have underachieved for years and belts need to be tightened.
Of more value to the Sporting fans were the trophies and the exciting football. United fans want the same, the players and executives too. They’ll give Amorim support like he’s never experienced in his life, but delivering that success is the difficult bit, as so many have found before him.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
India squads
Test squad against Afghanistan: Rahane (c), Dhawan, Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Karun, Saha, Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Umesh, Shami, Pandya, Ishant, Thakur.
T20 squad against Ireland and England: Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Raina, Pandey, Dhoni, Karthik, Chahal, Kuldeep, Sundar, Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah, Pandya, Kaul, Umesh.
ODI squad against England: Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Shreyas, Rayudu, Dhoni, Karthik, Chahal, Kuldeep, Sundar, Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah, Pandya, Kaul, Umesh
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Racecard
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Arabian Gulf League fixtures:
Friday:
- Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
- Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
- Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm
Saturday:
- Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
- Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
- Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20loss%20of%20sodium%20chloride%20in%20our%20sweat%20can%20lead%20to%20confusion%20and%20an%20altered%20mental%20status%20and%20slurred%20speech%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBody%20temperature%20above%2039%C2%B0C%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHot%2C%20dry%20and%20red%20or%20damp%20skin%20can%20indicate%20heatstroke%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EA%20faster%20pulse%20than%20usual%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDizziness%2C%20nausea%20and%20headaches%20are%20also%20signs%20of%20overheating%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIn%20extreme%20cases%2C%20victims%20can%20lose%20consciousness%20and%20require%20immediate%20medical%20attention%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
