Ruben Amorim, incoming manager of Manchester United, has urged fans to manage their expectations after his Sporting CP side stunned Manchester City with a 4-1 win in his final home game at the Estádio José Alvalade.
Despite the dominant scoreline, Amorim described the result as “misleading,” attributing the victory to good fortune. The 38-year-old Portuguese coach will take over at Old Trafford during the upcoming international break, where he faces a new level of pressure and scrutiny.
After the match, Amorim addressed the intense anticipation surrounding his arrival at Manchester United, cautioning fans not to overstate the significance of Sporting’s win over City. “It was written that it had to be like this. This result is misleading. We were very lucky in this game. But the feeling with my players, the way they celebrated the win with the fans, was very special,” Amorim said.
Viktor Gyokeres was the star of the match, scoring a hat-trick that included two penalties, while Maxi Araujo also found the net. City initially took the lead through Phil Foden, but their momentum was halted when Erling Haaland struck the bar with a penalty.
Amorim made it clear that his success in Portugal would not automatically translate to the Premier League. “When I arrive there, it will be a different world, with different pressure. I will try to be the same. It will be fun — very fun — and I am ready for the challenge,” he said.
He also warned Manchester United fans not to expect immediate results, especially in replicating the dominance achieved under Sir Alex Ferguson. “You cannot transport one reality into another. At Manchester United, you cannot play exactly like this. You cannot play so defensively, and so we will have to adapt,” Amorim explained.
Reflecting on the challenges that lie ahead, Amorim acknowledged United’s recent struggles, with only two wins from their last ten matches. “Clearly, it is really difficult to beat this team and to beat Pep Guardiola. He is not a worse manager than me. It will be a completely different world, a different team, and we won’t have that much time to train,” he added.
Amorim concluded with a message to United fans: “People can make their own judgments, but I say to the people of Manchester that this was a one-off.”
Before officially joining Manchester United, Amorim will lead Sporting in his final match against Sporting Braga this weekend, marking the end of a successful chapter in Lisbon before facing the daunting task at Old Trafford.
