Amorim's to-do list to lift morale at Man Utd

MANCHESTER - Ruben Amorim is the latest man to step into the Old Trafford hot seat to try and restore Manchester United's former glories.

The former Portugal international will take charge from November 11 after he brings to an end a highly successful spell at Sporting Lisbon.

Amorim becomes United's sixth permanent appointment since legendary former boss Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

In the 11 years since, United have failed to even compete to win the Premier League or Champions League.

The Red Devils are off to their worst start in the Premier League era with just 12 points from 10 games to sit 13th.

Even in European football's second tier competition, the Red Devils are struggling, without a win in their opening three Europa League ties ahead of the visit of PAOK Thessaloniki on Thursday.

AFP Sports looks at the challenges that the 39-year-old faces once he arrives in Manchester:

Impose his style Two trophies in his two full seasons in charge was not enough to save Erik ten Hag as there was no reason to believe the Dutchman was capable of reversing a shocking run of results.

Even when he did score impressive wins over the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester City during his time two years in charge, Ten Hag relied on moments of individual brilliance from an expensively assembled squad rather than imposing a clear style of play.

Amorim has earned his ticket to the Premier League after transforming the fortunes of Sporting over the past four years.

His brand of attacking and energetic football saw Sporting finally step out of the shadow of Benfica and Porto to win the Portuguese league twice after a 19-year wait.

Amorim's preferred 3-4-3 formation could also suit the players he will have available.

But he will have precious little time on the training ground to impose his philosophy as United face a gruelling run of 12 games between November 24 and January 5.

Awaken the United 'graveyard' United's fall from grace has come despite continuing to spend colossal sums on transfer fees and wages.

Over £600 million ($778 million) was spent over Ten Hag's five transfer windows alone on new signings but very few have proved value for money.

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were also chewed up and spat out by the pressures of managing United since Ferguson's departure.

"Every manager that comes to Manchester United, we start to think they're the problem at a certain point," said former United captain Gary Neville.

"Players bought for £50, £60, £70 million - even though other clubs want these players on the way in and they chose Manchester United - and it ends up being a graveyard for them."

Amorim will have a greater pool of talent to work with than he did at Sporting.

Getting the best out of those resources will be the key to his success.

Bring back belief United fans have been beaten down by not only their own struggles in recent years but by watching rivals Manchester City and Liverpool take over as the dominant forces in the English game.

Old Trafford is no longer the fortress it once was. Liverpool and Tottenham cruised to 3-0 victories in September, while Brighton, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Fulham won there last season.

Amorim has to energise the crowd to give them cause to believe that this time managerial change will provide the answer.

United captain Bruno Fernandes witnessed his new boss do just that as his former club and is hoping he can make a similar impact.

"I am a big fan of Sporting and watch a lot of their games. Ruben Amorim brought the excitement back to the club," said Fernandes.

"He transformed everything and brought everyone together." - AFP