Ruben Amorim feels he is “exactly where I’m meant to be” after his first week as Manchester United’s new manager.
The Portuguese manager, who replaced the dismissed Erik ten Hag, arrived at the club’s Carrington training complex on Monday, following a 4-2 victory in his final match with Sporting Lisbon.
On Friday, United shared a brief clip from Amorim’s first interview with the club’s in-house TV, showing him taking in the sights of floodlit Old Trafford.
“You watch on TV, and you know that it’s big and impressive, but when you are here, you can feel it, and I think you feel the history,” Amorim said.
“I’m really, really proud to be a Manchester United coach, so it’s amazing. It’s a real honor to be here.”
When the interviewer remarked that there is a “weight to the place but it does lift you up,” Amorim replied: “That’s really funny because I feel very relaxed.
“Maybe because it’s not gameday. When we have a game, I’m a different guy, but I really don’t feel the weight.
“I’m really excited, and I’m quite relaxed, you know. I think I am where I’m supposed to be. That’s the feeling.”
Amorim’s first match in charge will be away at struggling Ipswich on Nov. 24, following the international break.
United are 13th in the Premier League table after a poor start to the season but are only four points off the top four.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was temporarily put in charge of United after Ten Hag’s dismissal, issued an emotional farewell message to the club on Friday, where he also starred as a striker.
The former PSV Eindhoven boss, appointed as an assistant coach in July on a two-year contract, had expressed a desire to stay at Old Trafford under Amorim.
But United confirmed on Monday that the 48-year-old would not be part of the new coaching staff.