'Ruben Amorim showed his true colours when he got upset in training - he felt powerless'

View 3 Images

Ruben Amorim felt “powerless” and “upset” in training during his time playing in Qatar , according to his former coach Mauricio Larriera. It wasn’t too long ago that the Manchester United manager was playing football himself, having spent the 2015/16 season with Al-Wakrah.

The former Portuguese midfielder had previously broken through the youth ranks at Belenenses in 2003 before making a move to Benfica five years later. Towards the latter part of his career, Amorim spent three seasons on loan at Braga and the Qatar Stars League side, where he worked under Uruguayan legend Larriera.

But Larriera insists that things didn’t always go smoothly for him and Amorim in Qatar, with frustrations sometimes getting the better of the now Red Devils boss in training and in matches. That anger was down to the passionate Amorim’s own high standards and desire for the team to do better, which meant his manager occasionally had to provide him with some perspective.

Larriera revealed in an interview with O Jogo last year: "He always played very well, but unfortunately he was sent off in one game. No, in two. And he apologised to me for it. It's part of the game, but he was even more upset than me when things didn't work out. The impotence he felt overcame him.

"In one game he got two yellows and we ended up losing. In the other it was for a foul, a bit due to tiredness and a bit due to impotence. He felt very powerless. In training he'd get upset and we'd say to him, ‘Ruben, please don't get upset’. Sometimes it was him, ‘Mauricio, please don't get upset’.

"He didn't understand certain things, Qatar was in the process of growth. When he was angry, I'd hug him and say, ‘Relax, Qatar is like that’. He'd tell me the same thing."

While Amorim was able to learn from Larriera during his year-long spell with Al-Wakrah, in which he scored two goals in 14 appearances, the coach also admitted he had the chance to learn and better his own management skills thanks to the midfielder.

He continued: "It allowed me to raise the level and quality of my training. He helped me perform some highly complex exercises. We lived in the same place, drank mugs of black coffee and talked for hours, sharing many things. He allowed me to get to know an exceptional human being and a class A footballer.

"I could see that he was very interested in all our plans, game plans, everything, but I didn't realise he was thinking of becoming a coach. He retired there and I think he was 32, very young. I wanted him to stay there and he didn't. I wasn't with my family, it was tough when he left... he told me to stay, that I was fine, that they knew me.

View 3 Images

"We lived in the Four Seasons, I met his wife, she was pregnant. We went for lunch and dinner a couple of times, we talked about a lot of things, football too, but above all about life. We were together in a place in the world that was very strange to all of us. I didn't suspect that he would become what he became, an elite coach in Europe and the world.

"Ruben was always very open with us, he opened his heart and his wisdom to me. I don't know if we had any footballing arguments, there could have been, but there was always a complicit smile."

Shortly after hanging up his boots, Amorim made the brave decision to step into the world of football management, taking a job at Casa Pia in 2018.

He impressed with the minnows before taking charge of Braga in 2019, where he won a Taca da Liga in his maiden season. That earned him a big move to Sporting CP in 2020, where he enjoyed four hugely successful years with the Portuguese giants, clinching two Primeira Liga titles and Taca da Ligas apiece.

View 3 Images

In November last year, Amorim was announced as Erik ten Hag's successor at Manchester United, as an era of uncertainty for the Dutchman finally drew to a close. But, if the 40-year-old thought his time in Qatar was stressful and frustrating, his first year at Old Trafford proved more turbulent than he ever could have imagined.

Amorim in his first season guided United to their worst-ever finish in the Premier League , down in 15th place, as he largely failed to implement his unique philosophy and achieve success. He reached the Europa League final last term, where his side failed to qualify for the Champions League after suffering defeat to an equally shambolic Tottenham .

He has constantly had to face scrutiny over whether his ideas can translate to a big English side like United, with speculation rampant over how long it will be before the club’s hierarchy lose patience and sack him. His win percentage at United, at just under 40%, is one of the lowest of any permanent United manager since World War II.

Amorim finally secured back-to-back wins for the first time earlier this season and his side are currently seventh in the league. Their only realistic shot of winning silverware this campaign is the FA Cup .

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.