IT is a sign of progress at Manchester United that their international break has been utterly uneventful so far.
The start of the September internationals last year were dominated by chief executive Omar Berrada’s backing for Erik ten Hag. Come the October fortnight, it was a matter of when – not if – Ten Hag would be sacked.
November’s barren weeks were filled by Ruben Amorim’s arrival. For such a quotable and emotive talker, Amorim is responsible for the sense of calm around United at the moment.
That is principally down to the results. Man Utd are five games unbeaten and were rightly disappointed to draw at Nottingham Forest and Tottenham in their last two fixtures.
Promoting goalkeeper Senne Lammens to the starting line-up has provided an unflappable presence between the sticks. United staff have likened Lammens to the phlegmatic Edwin van der Sar while the Stretford End have compared him to Peter Schmeichel.
For veterans on the Man Utd patch, there were crises in every month, sometimes every week, in recent seasons.
Al-right now
Ferguson gives verdict on Amorim’s Man Utd and names ‘outstanding’ new star
Before Amorim forecast a “storm” last December, United had barely recovered from the gales of Ten Hag’s final fraught year.
Before the first international break had ended in 2023-24, United were forced to abandon the intended reintegration of Mason Greenwood amid a fan backlash, Jadon Sancho publicly accused Ten Hag of lying and Antony took a leave of absence to address allegations of domestic abuse that he denied.
That was four games into the season. The Greenwood issue hastened the downfall of Ten Hag, chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough.
Ten Hag had run-ins with Marcus Rashford. The Dutchman admitted it was “unacceptable” that Rashford attended a birthday party in Manchester city centre hours after United were trounced 3-0 by Manchester City at Old Trafford in October 2023.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Rashford had already crossed Ten Hag by arriving late for a team meeting on the morning of United’s New Year’s Eve match at Wolves in 2022. He was dropped from the starting line-up but the incident was nipped in the bud by the forward emerging at half-time to score the only goal at Molineux.
In January 2024, Rashford crossed the line again, embarking on a bender in Belfast days before Man Utd’s season resumed at Newport County in the FA Cup fourth round. Ten Hag omitted the England international from the travelling squad and his agent was hauled in for clear-the-air talks.
Amorim came down on Rashford like a ton of bricks at the first sign of trouble when the forward blanked him after being substituted against Viktoria Plzen last year. That was almost certainly the versatile forward’s final appearance for his boyhood club.
Alejandro Garnacho’s attitude in the Czech Republic also irked Amorim. Garnacho and Rashford were dropped from the squad against Man City and the Argentina international then endured an uneasy alliance with Amorim until his demotion for the Europa League final loss to Tottenham.
Amorim would have seen from afar how quickly a United manager’s plate can pile up. This time three years ago, Ten Hag was publicly skewered by Cristiano Ronaldo.
At that time, Ten Hag had total authority and Ronaldo’s decline had begun. His incendiary interview with Piers Morgan ensured there would be a quick divorce.
In 2021, United spiralled under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ronaldo’s entourage orchestrated a hopeful campaign for Zinedine Zidane to take over.
The year before that, United were paying the price for their mindless indulgence of Paul Pogba. His agent Mino Raiola claimed it was “over” for Pogba at Man Utd on the eve of a Champions League group-stage decider.
Man Utd learnt their lesson
United lost at RB Leipzig and were relegated to the Europa League.
Finally, United have learnt their lesson. They trod on eggshells around Pogba for the full six years of his contract. Now, a player is lucky to last six months under Amorim.
His summer ‘bomb squad’ comprised problem players Rashford, Garnacho, Sancho and Antony – as well as the unsellable Tyrell Malacia. That maintained harmony in the core squad during training and pre-season.
It has worked. While United struggled for results in the first two months of the campaign, there were no signs of mutiny.
Yesteryear, certain players would snipe about the manager – publicly and privately – and his methods as soon as United’s form took a turn for the worse. The odd player would turn on team-mates.
Now, Amorim has managed to get practically the vast majority of the squad onside.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
FRESH BLOW
Celtic star stretchered off in international tie as Hoops hit with injury scare
SUB-ZERO CHILL
Scotland gripped by bone-chilling -7C plunge as snow hits MORE areas in days
Andre Onana had a decent rapport with Amorim and staff appreciated his warmth, yet Amorim knew that retaining him as a back-up goalie would have done more harm than good. So Onana had to go.
His departure has certainly contributed to making United uneventful.
