The 39-year-old who was just handed soccer’s impossible job
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. When the call came last month with an offer to become manager of Manchester United, Ruben Amorim wasn’t given much time to think it over. This was a once in a lifetime offer, he was told, from one of the most celebrated clubs in sports.
It was now or never. For a 39-year-old former player from Lisbon, this was all a bit dizzying. Amorim had only ever held three permanent jobs as a head coach, and none had been outside of Portugal.
But he knew United wouldn’t come calling twice. He had to accept. “I had three days to make my mind up," Amorim said, “to make a decision that changes radically my life." Amorim, who will officially become United’s sixth permanent manager since 2013 on Nov.
11, is now heading into one of the most high-profile posts in all of sports. The trouble is that turning around Manchester United, the Premier League’s staggering giant, may also be an impossible job. Though the club has won more English league titles than any other, it’s currently stuck in one of a baffling rut.
United’s legendary manager Alex Ferguson dominated the Premier League for two decades until 2013, when promptly retired. The team hasn’t come close to a title since. In that time, United has spent well over $1 billion on acquiring new playing talent, sold off a 25% stake in the club to British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, and collected more permanent managers than trophies.
It currently sits in 13th place in the standings after just three victories in 10 games. The latest frustration was a 1-1 draw at home against Chelsea on Sunday. Yet nothing has proven more galling than the club’s fruitless search for a worthy successor to Ferguson.
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