Paul Scholes makes a full U-turn on Ruben Amorim and insists he is a ‘real coup’ for Man United… just days after admitting the manager’s appointment ‘feels like hiring Erik ten Hag’ again

Paul Scholes has admitted he is ‘really excited’ for Ruben Amorim and believes the manager is a ‘real coup’ for Manchester United, despite initially urging his former club not to appoint him.

The Red Devils legend, who was on duty for TNT Sports during Manchester United’s 2-0 win over PAOK at Old Trafford on Thursday, waxed lyrical about the new Portuguese boss, who will start his new role on Monday.

Amorim made the perfect statement for the Red Devils fans on Tuesday by triumphing 4-1 over perennial Premier League champions Manchester City at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, surpassing Pep Guardiola thanks to a superb hat-trick from in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon.

Despite having initial reservations, Scholes made a marked U-turn on his views on Amorim, admitting he ‘couldn’t wait’ for the former Sporting manager to join him.

“I’m very excited about it,” Scholes told TNT Sports.

“We’ve been looking for managers and players that we haven’t really had any competition to try to sign.

‘Especially some players where there are no players like Barcelona, ​​Man City and Liverpool – the big clubs are after them.

‘I think with Ruben Amorim everyone is watching and being a bit jealous, because I think some of them really, really wanted him.

‘I know he was talked about at City as soon as Pep left, so he is thought of with so much respect.

‘That’s something we haven’t had before. We had (Louis) van Gaal, who got a big job at that stage of his career, a surprise.

“For (Jose) Mourinho, this was probably his last big job and it was a bit surprising for the Chelsea rivalry.”

‘This is the first one that makes you think: yes, this is a real coup. We are ahead of three, four, five top clubs across Europe and it is exciting. I can’t wait for him to come.’

Just last week, Scholes admitted he was unsure whether Manchester United would hire the Portuguese as he feared Amorim’s appointment was too similar to that of recently sacked manager Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman, despite winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his time at Old Trafford, failed to live up to expectations in the Premier League. He finished in eighth place last season and dropped to 14th after nine games before his ax last month.

Ten Hag joined the club in 2022 after a successful spell at Ajax, including three Eredivisie titles and a run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.

‘I agree with Ruben Amorim – it [the hype] feels a bit like Erik ten Hag [when he joined Manchester United],” the Red Devils legend said last month before the appointment was confirmed, during The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky bet.

‘I know he is meant to sign in the coming days and hours, but Sporting play Manchester City next week and Arsenal in the next three or four weeks. It could be an opportunity to give him a public interview and see how he handles the situation. media, watch his team play.

‘In England we don’t watch much Portuguese football, so we don’t know much about it. We see them a bit in European football, and all the things we hear about him are good – exciting football, three players at the back and possession-based – something United don’t really do. If he comes to do that, it could be exciting.’

Needless to say, Amorim more than passed his audition – and by hiring the coach before the upcoming international break, rather than waiting for Sporting to play Arsenal in a few weeks’ time as Scholes suggested – Man United got him the given time to impress his ideas. on the team.

Reflecting on City’s defeat, Scholes stressed that Amorim’s biggest priority is changing the mentality at Old Trafford.

He said: ‘(Sporting) looked really good, they looked fresh and threatening. There was a desire, a hunger that probably hasn’t been seen here (at Old Trafford) so he will have to change the mentality once he gets here.

‘He looks like he has the character, a good smile, and I even saw an interview where he said he wants to come and ‘have fun.’ That has not been associated with this club for a while.

“I think it’s going to be quite easy for him to take this team up five or six places. They finished eighth last year, so he doesn’t have to do much to beat that.

‘The question for me is: how can he at least get this team to compete for the Champions League places? And then he will have to take that next step to compete for the national title.’

Man United will take on Leicester at Old Trafford on Sunday under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.