Andy Cole says new Manchester United manager Rúben Amirom will already be feeling the pressure to succeed despite not having officially taken over the reins for the Red Devils.
Amorim will take over from interim Man United boss Ruud van Nistelrooy next week, following Erik ten Hag's sacking by the Red Devils last month. The 39-year-old will head to Old Trafford after a successful stint at Sporting CP that included two Primeira Liga titles as well as a pair of Portuguese League Cup triumphs.
A former Portugal international as a player, Amorim now steps into a role at United that has been punctuated by turbulence since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement over a decade ago, and Cole admits that he's not sure if Amorim was the best candidate for the job.
“I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know," Cole told Betfred. "Who was out there? He’s got a big job ahead of him. He’s a young, exciting coach and I just wish the best for him. It’s obviously been very tough for the previous six managers, but I just hope that Rúben can hit the ground running, get the results he’s looking for straight away and go from there. Fingers crossed he can hit the ground running.”
Along with the pressure to lead the Red Devils out of the bottom half of the Premier League, Cole believes Amorim will be expected to improve the team's results in short order.
“We just need to see how the next couple of months go with him because he’s going to take a bit of time to get used to the players he’ll have in the squad and they’ve got to get used to him," Cole said. "We don’t know if he’s going to implement this system he prefers, with the three at the back, so we just have to wait and see. If he doesn’t hit the ground running, then you can just imagine what the media are going to be like with him."