As Ruben Amorim officially takes over at Manchester United, the Sports Mole team debate where the 20-time English champions can expect to finish this season.
A new era at Manchester United begins today, with Ruben Amorim officially becoming the latest manager to take the reins at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
The 39-year-old arrives to replace Erik ten Hag as permanent boss, following an interim spell from Ruud van Nistelrooy, having built his name as one of Europe’s best up-and-coming managers during a successful spell at Sporting Lisbon.
However, at Old Trafford he will find a far greater degree of scrutiny and faces a daunting in-tray of tasks immediately upon his arrival, as he tries to achieve what seven managers since Sir Alex Ferguson have failed to do, and take Man United back to the top of English and European football.
Day one for Amorim comes with the 20-time English champions sitting 13th in the Premier League table, having won four, drawn three and lost four of their opening 11 games of the season.
But where can fans realistically expect the Red Devils to finish under Amorim this season?
Here, members of the Sports Mole team discuss where they think Man United will end up when all is said and done in the current campaign.
It has got to the stage now where you expect anyone who comes into the Man United job to oversee an initial improvement, but then to struggle and ultimately underwhelm.
The club has tried a number of different types of manager in an attempt to bring the Sir Alex Ferguson glory days back, from up-and-comers seemingly in the Ferguson mould like David Moyes to proven trophy winners with huge profiles like Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
With an obscene amount of money spent on players in that time too, you have to draw the conclusion that the problem lies a lot deeper than just the manager, and so expecting Ruben Amorim to come in and fix everything for Man United is unrealistic.
The job he has done at Sporting Lisbon is fantastic, and when the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City are linked with a manager, that is usually a good sign that they have something special about them.
Don’t be surprised to see an initial improvement when Amorim arrives, and I would expect them to finish in the European places this season. Even a top-four finish is not out of the question with so much football left to play, although I feel Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea are all more likely to finish in those Champions League spots.
However, for real, longer-term change at Man United, the deeper issues beyond the manager need to be addressed, and they need to get back to being the best in class for everything, as their local rivals Man City have become over the past decade or so.
Matt Law, Football Editor
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This will be a controversial take, but Man United can sneak into the top four under Amorim.
The performances and results this season have clearly not been good enough, but Sunday’s 3-0 win over Leicester City was a big result for the Red Devils, and they are now just four points off fourth heading into the November international break.
The lack of a prolific striker could ultimately cost them, and sixth might be more of a realistic target, but Man United should fancy that they will finish above the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Liverpool and Manchester City are, for me, the only guarantees for the top four at this moment in time, and under Amorim’s leadership, Man United have enough quality to rise up the table in the coming weeks/months, which may ultimately end with a top-four spot.
It will be fascinating to see how Amorim performs at Old Trafford, but his credentials are excellent, and there are a lot of reasons to be positive for Man United fans ahead of the November international break.
Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter
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Of course, aiming for the Premier League title is unrealistic for Man United this season, but a top-four finish is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility with 27 matches still to play, as only four points are separating them in 13th from Chelsea in third spot.
Securing at least some form of European football is a priority for the Red Devils, as that will presumably boost Ruben Amorim’s chances of recruiting his desired transfer targets next summer.
After United spent heavily last summer under Erik ten Hag, it will be intriguing to see whether Amorim is immediately handed funds to strengthen his squad in January.
A second-half-of-the-season revival cannot be ruled out, but I feel that it will ultimately take time for Amorim to truly put his stamp on his Man United squad and they may have to settle for a finish between fifth and eighth at best.
Jonathan O’Shea, Reporter
Given the circumstances, expecting an immediate Ruben Amorim-led Manchester United to charge up the table – past several strong contenders – and into the top four is not realistic.
However, they should improve to some extent and may finish sixth or seventh – going deep in the Europa League is not out of the question either.
Joel Lefevre, Reporter
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Ruben Amorim is inheriting a club that have been in dire need of inspiration from somewhere.
It’s eerily similar to the state of this club before Erik ten Hag took charge and Ralf Rangnick before him.
Manchester United supporters will be encouraged by their new manager, after he masterminded a brilliant 4-1 Champions League triumph over Manchester City last week.
At the same time, supporters at Old Trafford have seen a similar story play out as Ten Hag, and Rangnick had strong CVs when they took charge while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a beloved figure with the Red Devils during his playing days.
All of them failed miserably and given the direction this team has been going throughout the campaign, it’s understandable if some fans aren’t sold on their new boss.
However, these players have desperately needed a strong communicator who is transparent and has tactical flexibility, all of which, in the future, could play out well for Amorim.
The problem is there’s a lot of ground for them to make up and add to that the fact they may change formations, I’d be surprised to see them finish in a Champions League position.
Realistically, there’s a lot of ground for them to make up, even at this early stage of the season, and a lot of healing has to happen, so with all of that in mind, I have them finishing seventh by the end of the campaign.
Fifth. Very few points separate the sides between Man United and the European positions, and they have already picked up some points under Ruud van Nistelrooy since Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
While the likes of Nottingham Forest and Fulham, among others, would do well to maintain their excellent starts, Man United, re-energised under Ruben Amorim, could surge up the table, but just miss out on the top 4 to Chelsea.
