Paul Scholes isn't ready to buy into the Ruben Amorim hype just yet, but he's willing to give the Portuguese manager a chance.
Amorim has been widely reported as the incoming replacement at Manchester United for Erik ten Hag, who was relieved of his duties at Old Trafford earlier this week.
The 39-year-old is currently the manager at Sporting in the Primeira Liga, where they sit atop the table with nine wins in nine matches. Amorim is expected to be officially announced by the Red Devils in the coming days, but Scholes wants to know a bit more about the former Portugal international as a manager before he takes over the job.
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"It [the hype] feels a bit like Erik ten Hag [when he joined Manchester United], he’s coming from the Portuguese league which is a bit better than the Dutch league," Scholes said while speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.
"What he’s done there has been good – he looks charismatic, and that he has a bit about him.
“I know he’s 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 might be a chance to give him a public interview, and see how he handles the media, see how his team plays.
“In England, we don’t watch a lot of Portuguese football, so we don’t know too much. We see them a bit in European football, and all the things we hear about him are good – exciting football, three at the back and possession based – something United don’t really do. If he comes in to do that, it could be exciting.”
Some of Scholes' scepticism about Amorim might come from the fact that he had another manager in mind for the position, which is currently being filled on an interim basis by his former teammate, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
“I think Thomas Tuchel was the right one to coach Manchester United, but obviously he’s gone now with England," Scholes said. "He’s someone that can manage an elite football club and win big games. He’s been there and done it."
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