Ruben Amorim is adjusting his coaching approach at Manchester United by asking players unable to fully participate in training to walk and jog through play patterns, compensating for a lack of available training time. With a packed fixture schedule and limited recovery time between matches, Amorim has had to get creative with his methods to continue developing the team.
He secured his first win as United head coach on Thursday against Bodø/Glimt, and with Everton coming up on Sunday, Amorim and his staff are working to manage the team’s fitness. United’s schedule in December leaves no clear midweek break, and depending on their progress in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League, they may not have one until the international break in March, when Amorim will be missing a significant portion of his squad.
Innovative Training Techniques for Tight Schedules
“I was a football player,” Amorim said when discussing his training methods. “Videos more than 12 minutes? Forget it, because of concentration… Instead of video, we do it like walking and jogging – it’s a way to do it. And showing some videos.”
Amorim emphasized the importance of individual attention, particularly for players who cannot run at full intensity. “For example, Carlos [Fernandes] is with the strikers. They will [be] shown individual moments. So we will try to cope like this. Everyone has a job in the staff and they are more important than me, maybe. Try to [review] the game and what is missing [from our play].”
Despite the challenge of limited time, Amorim remains confident in the players’ abilities. “They are very good players, they need to believe, and we will show individual stuff. Team stuff. And if you cannot run, you can jog.”
Managing Player Fitness and Rotation
In the match against Bodø/Glimt, Amorim used five substitutes—Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo, and Luke Shaw—managing players’ fitness rather than focusing solely on the game. “We have to use subs to manage the fitness, not the game,” he said. “We already know that it will be like that, so no excuse. We should be ready for Sunday and we have to win. We will rotate players and we will be ready. It is what it is.”
Amorim added that the team must use the matches themselves to improve fitness. “I felt that we pressed a little bit higher [against Bodø/Glimt]. Mason Mount did 60 minutes with high intensity, [Rasmus] Højlund was dead in the end. The guys playing push more. Push the guys to the limit. And the other guys have to train. Luke Shaw did some minutes and will train now.”
Rasmus Højlund Thrives in Amorim’s System
Rasmus Højlund, who scored twice in the win against Bodø/Glimt, has settled into Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, which suits his playing style. “The new system, new ideas, are suiting my style of play,” said Højlund. “I’ve played this sort of football – I don’t say it is the same, but a 3-4-3. I used to play in Atalanta a little bit the same.”
Højlund, who played for Atalanta in the 2022-23 season, where he scored 10 goals in 34 appearances, was asked about the difference between Amorim’s approach and that of Erik ten Hag. “The press is very different,” the 21-year-old striker noted. “I have to focus a little bit more on what’s in front of me instead of behind. I showed last season with being the top scorer for the team that I can score goals. I’m still very young but obviously I would like to take the responsibility and that’s why I took the No 9 this year because I want to take the next level and the next step. But I still have a lot to grow – I’m still not the finished article.”
After scoring his two goals, Højlund celebrated with a thumbs-up and thumb-down gesture. “It’s the Gladiator one,” he explained. “We watched it when we were with the national team. And I thought it was a nice celebration.”