'Jadon Sancho is back in training' - Ruben Amorim will not make jaws drop at Manchester United

Ruben Amorim will officially start work at Man United next week, but he is already making national headlines.

'Jadon Sancho is back in training' - Ruben Amorim will not make jaws drop at Manchester United

"What do you like about the Premier League, Ruben?" a journalist attending a Sporting Lisbon press conference asked last week as Ruben Amorim headed toward the exit door.

"Everything," he laughed. Amorim has handled himself brilliantly since Erik ten Hag was sacked and the attention of the world's media turned to the Estadio Jose Alvalade stadium.

Sporting is a giant club in Portugal but Amorim's press conferences have practically been at full capacity since it became clear he would become Manchester United's head coach.

Amorim was ambushed with questions about his future before he was formally announced as the new United boss. It wouldn't have been a surprise if he'd cancelled his press conferences, but he fronted up, didn't shy away and answered questions diplomatically and with a smile.

His English is remarkably good and he's made an excellent impression on the handful of journalists from England who have flown over to listen to him speak before he leaves Sporting.

More journalists from Manchester have travelled to Lisbon this week ahead of Manchester City's game against Sporting in the Champions League and Amorim addressed the media ahead of that clash. "If the result is negative, expectations will lower," he said. "If we win, they'll think the new Alex Ferguson has arrived!" Amorim was in great form and his joke was received well.

Amorim chuckled to himself and added: "I'm Sporting's coach until the 11th. I understand the interest but, for me, it's another game against a team from the best league in the world."

The 39-year-old has admitted the last week has been the "toughest" of his life because he's leaving a club that he loves, but he also said that blow is softened by joining "one of the best clubs in the world." Amorim has struck all the right notes so far and is an incredibly likeable coach.

He speaks with sincerity and warmth in his press conferences and Ineos have employed a savvy communicator, which is an important skill to possess in the top job at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag wasn't going to be sacked because his communication wasn't great - it was the awful results that saw him walk the deck - but it was an area in which he didn't excel.

'Jadon Sancho is back in training' - Ruben Amorim will not make jaws drop at Manchester United

Ten Hag improved his English as he spent more time in Manchester, but he was still very Dutch and his communication skills could have been better. Although fans grew to love his Dutch mannerisms and grunts, there were times when his communication was clunky.

An example of that came in October last year when Ten Hag spoke at Carrington ahead of United's game against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League. Ten Hag opened the presser by answering a question on team news and it sounded like he said Jadon Sancho was back in training.

Sancho had been banished from the first-team a month earlier and there was instant confusion. Had he just confirmed his dispute with Sancho had been squashed? In reality, Ten Hag said "Sergio" in reference to former loanee Sergio Reguilon but his pronunciation sounded like Sancho.

United were forced to confirm Ten Hag had said "Sergio" and there shouldn't be any repeats of such mistakes with Amorim because he speaks better English than some Englishmen.

Ten Hag was more comfortable away from a camera and was actually personable, however, he sometimes couldn't convey a message in a press conference, he began to sound delusional at the end of his tenure and the players felt he could have communicated better.

Ten Hag's trademark was his succinct - often blunt - nature and Amorim should provide more detail, while there should also be more transparency on injuries because United's former manager ushered in a secretive injury policy, which saw an increase in conspiracy theories.

Ten Hag kept his cards close to his chest when discussing some players' injuries and that could be unhelpful in certain cases. For example, fans speculated why Tyrell Malacia had been absent, and it was left to the Manchester Evening News to finally reveal why he'd been missing.

A member of United staff recently conceded Ten Hag's communication wasn't one of his strengths. They will be looking forward to working with Amorim because it's an area that matters.

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