Ruben Amorim body language analysed: The three powerful traits that will get Man United stars on side, but be warned of these red flags

Ruben Amorim is officially in the top spot at Manchester United and is now just a matter of hours away from his first game in charge of the club, away to Ipswich Town on Sunday.

He spoke to the media for the first time on Friday as he previewed Sunday, discussing how he plans to change norms at the club in a bid to finally move it forward.

The 39-year-old spoke well but all eyes will be on him when he steps into the dugout for the first time this weekend, with United sitting 13th in the Premier League and needing major improvement.

But what was he really thinking? Is the Portuguese the person who can finally improve United’s fortunes, help them and bring the feel-good factor back to Old Trafford?

Very possible. But there are also things to watch out for that indicate there is still a long way to go and that Amorim may be thinking more than he’s letting on.

Body language expert Judi James has told Mail Sport what he thought of Amorim’s first press conference with the Red Devils.

The Portuguese spoke to the media ahead of his first match this weekend on Friday

A body language expert has explained three powerful traits, but also highlighted red flags

“Amorim creates a very attractive visual bite,” James said exclusively. ‘His projected image is one of charisma, good humor, fun and enthusiasm. His body language scores high in terms of perceived sympathy traits.

‘An analysis of these three powerful properties is as simple as he claims his game theory is. He has an attractive eye smile that will also turn into laser-like, active listening signals when asked questions.

‘His mouth smile is equally attractive. With his chin down he looks happy and uncomplicated, exactly the man to inspire a club in trouble. His smile is infectious. He should have the team grinning again before he even opens his mouth.

‘In addition, he does not have the ghostly appearance of other managers and he appears at ease and happy to communicate, rather than reserved and reserved.’

There are reasons to be optimistic for United fans. After struggling since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, they have renewed hope in the form of their latest boss.

But things are unlikely to change completely right away. There has been a lot of talk about a back three or a vibrant personality, but there are issues behind the scenes that need to be addressed.

“I would like to point out that if he were at a job interview, his body language would be considered a red flag,” James added. ‘His gestures are often incongruent, meaning they contrast with his verbal messages, giving the impression that he is getting in his own way.

‘When he listens, he uses the endearing eye smile and his mouth opens slightly to suggest sharpness and openness. But as he prepares himself to answer, he turns both his head and his gaze to the side. This may be due to translation problems. He could look away to concentrate on his English. But it looks evasive.

His smile is rated as ‘attractive’, while ‘he doesn’t have the ghostly appearance of other managers’

However, his body language was said to ‘raise a number of red flags’ that he should be aware of

While some of his body language may be related to language issues, it may also be “evasive.”

‘When asked what gives him the belief that he is the person who can improve United’s fortunes, he starts scratching his wrist in distraction, looking away to say: ‘I believe in myself’ and then wringing his hands and crack his knuckles. and interlocking his fingers in an expression of what appears to be inner anguish, and rubbing his thumbs over his fingers in a ritual for self-comfort.

‘When he speaks about the players, his words sound encouraging and reassuring. ‘I really believe in the players’ is his verbal response, but his non-verbal signals indicate that they should not feel too relieved yet.’

United are believed to be ready to upgrade their squad in January to help Amorim, although it remains to be seen how much they spent on players for former manager Erik ten Hag this summer.

It also remains to be seen who Amorim will favor in his first team, having worked with a number of players during the international break and others returning later.

Fans may therefore have to wait to see who is involved with the Portuguese’s favorite team as he sets up shop in Manchester.

“His mouth turns up to the right side in a grimace and that grimace is repeated when he is asked about his first impressions of the squad,” James added. ‘The thumb is shrugged and when he adds, ‘There’s room for improvement,’ he cracks his knuckles again in a ritual that suggests he may be more demanding and firm than he sounds. His verbal stuttering increases as he says, “I truly believe we will succeed.”

‘He also has a verbal quality of disassociation when he refers to ‘You feel’ or ‘You have’ rather than ‘I’, which indicates a current detachment, although again this could be a linguistic feature.

“Overall, he looks like a guy whose team you’d like to be on. But his more subtle body language cues suggest there may be some confused thinking involved when you get there.”

The new United boss spoke about raising standards at the club after the international break

Casemiro (pictured) and Marcus Rashford were among those who have left in the past two weeks

Overall, Amorim was rated as ‘a guy whose team you would want to play in’ at United

Amorim was asked about standards at United after the likes of Marcus Rashford and Casemiro headed out for glitzy outings during the international break.

Speaking about the incident, Amorim told Gary Neville on Sky: ‘Nobody in the club said they can’t fly. They have to live their lives because they are grown men and they have to decide these things. We as a club need to change these norms.”

Both Rashford and Casemiro have played small roles this season after disappointing 2023/24 seasons, but could continue under Amorim.

The match against Ipswich will be held at Portman Road and starts at 4.30pm GMT on Sunday.