Jamie Carragher, in his column, stated that since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, all Manchester United managers, including Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, José Mourinho, and Erik ten Hag, have followed a pattern of starting strong but fading over time. The next manager, Jorge Jesus, may not be able to escape this curse. Whether Jesus can become the savior of the Red Devils will only be clear in 18 months.
Van Gaal helped Manchester United win the FA Cup, Mourinho secured the League Cup and Europa League for the club, Solskjær led the team to the Europa League final and a second-place finish in the Premier League, and Ten Hag has also won two trophies with Manchester United. However, over the past 11 years, just as people thought Manchester United was catching up to Manchester City, they found themselves moving in the opposite direction, far from winning the Premier League or Champions League.
Since Ferguson’s departure, multiple Manchester United managers have initially put the team on the right track. There is no doubt that Amorim will do the same. However, the real challenge for Amorim will come in 18 months, when it will be clear whether he can lead the team to compete for the Premier League and Champions League titles.
During the Mourinho, Solskjær, and Ten Hag eras, at the end of each season, the team was scrutinized and found to be five years behind Manchester City. The players currently signed by Manchester United are tailored to Ten Hag’s tactical setup, but whether they fit Amorim’s tactics is questionable.
Of course, Ten Hag may have had no specific tactics, and Amorim might not overhaul the current squad. However, Manchester United can learn from Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, who joined the team when they were 14th in the league and now they are competing in the Champions League. Similarly, Chelsea can serve as a model, as they took one year to sort everything out.
Even if Amorim achieves some success in the current and next seasons, only by staying for more than three years can it be proven that the board has chosen the right person.
