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Steven Gerrard, still one of the Saudi Pro League’s biggest names, features in the trailer for its upcoming Netflix documentary for less than a second.

And yet, to credit the makers of what will inevitably be an excellent piece of naked propaganda, they appear to have encapsulated his time at Al-Ettifaq perfectly.

Knees slightly bowed, arms outstretched, face agonisingly flummoxed, he is contorted by fate into the universal symbol for “coach whose overpaid striker really should have scored that one”. Here is a man to whom events are just happening, a victim of circumstance he just can’t grasp hold of, stuck in a loop of apologetically clapping supporters in quarter-full stadiums.

These events include being booed off the pitch last Friday after a 2-0 home defeat to newly-promoted Al-Qadsiah – featuring a 35-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – that left Ettifaq 11th, without a league win since 14 September.

There was also a post-match meeting with his director of football Hatem Al-Misehal, which Gerrard insists was routine but must have been slightly tenser than usual after fans had screamed “get out” during his apology lap.

Among the clubs Ettifaq are trailing are such giants as Al-Khaleej, Al-Raed and Al-Riyadh. The last club have never spent more than £1m on an individual player and relied on Andre Gray and ex-Sunderland mistake Didier Ndong last season, although both have now left.

The primary catalyst in Riyadh’s rise from 14th to sixth appears to be hiring Sabri Lamouchi, which highlights how much of a difference a manager – even one who only lasted five months at Cardiff – can make in the nascently fluid Pro League.

With Ettifaq’s squad including Georginio Wijnaldum, Seko Fofana, Moussa Dembele, Demarai Gray, Marek Rodak and Karl Toko Ekambi, last season’s sixth-place finish should really be the bare minimum. This isn’t an issue of other clubs simply spending more. Gerrard’s side are not scoring enough or defending consistently well – the two conceded against Al-Qadsiah were pathetically poor.

As was the case at Aston Villa, Gerrard is masterminding a steady regression. It appears the expiry date on the previous manager’s lingering tactical and psychological impact is somewhere just shy of a year.

After that, we’re left with pure, unfiltered Stevie G. That fuelled Villa to two wins from 12 games, and has Ettifaq with four losses from six in a significantly less competitive league. They face the top two in their next three matches.

The majority of existing evidence suggests Gerrard is a middling-to-poor manager, certainly not one of the few capable of tangibly or sustainably improving clubs.

Across 86 matches since leaving Rangers, Gerrard has won just 30, around 35 per cent. One of the most significant criticisms of his work at Ettifaq is a lack of consistency in tactical structure and lineups. He’s not so much building a future as barely surviving the present.

This begs the question – how bad does it have to get to lose his job? Admitting he was organising training sessions around Liverpool matches would have been enough at a lot of clubs, but Gerrard’s value to Ettifaq is far greater as a PR attraction than a coach.

That £15.2m salary isn’t based on his illustrious post-playing career. It’s not like the British media would have much to say about Dammam’s premier footballing establishment without him there.

But if and when he loses his job, where does he go next? What’s the next step down for a man who has seemingly proven he’s not even fit to manage a mid-table Saudi Pro League club? Australia? India? His new home nation of Bahrain?

Or is it back to punditry, welcome on the Sky Sports sofa alongside fellow legends trading on their former glory after failed managerial attempts (and Jamie Redknapp)?

Or is there an option perhaps more insulting, one in which Gerrard is continually paraded around the Middle East and US by clubs which prioritise social media metrics over results?

It’s hard to imagine him treading Wayne Rooney’s path of contrition through the EFL when he has already managed in the Premier League. Here is a test of how serious he is about coaching.

Gerrard now has a six-year career behind him. His Rangers success – which ultimately boiled down to one brilliant league campaign in a two-team competition – now appears a bizarre aberration.

If, as he claimed, the Ettifaq move wasn’t solely motivated by salary, then it was about reputational therapy. This was supposed to be a springboard back to Europe’s top five leagues, instead it looks like a trapdoor to managerial oblivion and irrelevance.

Gerrard may survive this slump, helpfully backed by a Liverpool-supporting chairman, but another appears inevitable. Average attendances at Ettifaq’s Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium are already down to 5,355 this season from 7,311 in 2023-24 – still less than half the 15,000 capacity.

A new elite-standard training ground was recently opened at no small expense, even for the second-largest petrochemicals company in Saudi Arabia.

These billionaires may not mind spending money, but they are loathe to waste it. It won’t be long until the damage Gerrard is doing on the pitch outweighs any benefit he has off it.

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Manchester United’s profligacy in front of goal could, with the talent in the ranks, cure itself with the help of one of the club’s greatest-ever strikers before Ruben Amorim arrives on our shores.

A three-at-the-back system suits the personnel within the United ranks, especially Lisandro Martinez, who will get more time on the ball to showcase his passing acumen.

But the midfield wreckage left over from Erik ten Hag’s tenure is going to take some clearing up.

With the final thread of his United tapestry readying to take the helm during the international break, Sir Jim Ratcliffe thought it best to show his face at Old Trafford on Sunday, alongside the other senior figures in the hierarchical structure he was desperate to instil.

A less obvious guest was Chelsea “fan” Olivia Rodrigo, but it was the rest in attendance who were left with a sense of Deja vu as Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia schooled United’s engine room for much of the encounter.

Caicedo is looking every inch a £100m football at the moment, but when afforded the freedom of Stretford to control the ebb and flow of an encounter, he was allowed to continue his evolution in peace on Sunday afternoon.

Ten Hag was reluctant to utilise Manuel Ugarte towards the end of his ill-fated reign, even after the club splurged £50m on a player supposed to be the panacea to their defensive midfield ailments.

Remember: only four Premier League teams during Ten Hag’s time in Manchester faced more shots than United. As they lurched from one nadir to the next last season, the gap between their backline and attack widened and the shots did flow.

Casemiro has improved of late, but against weaker opposition. With Caicedo in town, alongside a player not yet up to Premier League speed, he returned the laborious over-the-hill veteran.

However, it was Ugarte who proved the biggest cause for concern. He could easily have seen red such was his timing in the tackle, while his passing radar was seemingly set facing the Etihad rather than Old Trafford.

The Uruguayan will be key to Amorim’s chances of a red revolution. Amorim brought Ugarte to Lisbon and fought tooth and nail to stop Paris Saint-Germain prizing him from his clutches, having built his midfield unit around the combative metronome.

On Sunday, he was always one step behind Caicedo before being replaced, to stop him from being sent off in the second half.

It is far too early to judge whether Ugarte will be a success in the Premier League – numerous other club superstars have had worse starts – it is just unclear what he will bring to the table.

United chased Ugarte for a long time, identifying him as the type of ball-winner they needed after years of ill-equipped midfield anchors in the post-Roy Keane years.

No player in Ligue 1 last season won more tackles, while he dominated similar charts in Portugal, under Amorim.

Up against £100m Premier League players, who are starting to justify such an outlay, Ugarte is facing up to a different realm of opposition, one he currently cannot get close enough to challenge.

A change of system may suit him, with Martinez able to step out of the backline more – he has operated as a midfielder for club and country before.

Kobbie Mainoo should be his long-term partner, but he is still somewhat raw and cannot be relied upon just yet. Casemiro cannot play three games per week, and neither can Christian Eriksen.

Conundrums galore, in one position. Amorim has only brought it upon himself.

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Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea (Fernandes pen 70’| Caicedo 74′)

Chelsea continued their winless run at Old Trafford in a bizarrely shapeless match against Manchester United.

In Ruud van Nistelrooy‘s first and penultimate Premier League game in charge, his United side certainly weren’t good, but they did enough to earn a point against a similarly underperforming Chelsea.

In a game largely devoid of clear-cut chances, it took a moment of headlessness from Robert Sanchez to bring down Rasmus Hojlund in the penalty area, before Bruno Fernandes converted the spot-kick.

Yet just four minutes later, the excellent Moises Caicedo struck a wayward corner clearance first time through Mykhailo Mudryk‘s legs and past Andre Onana.

This leaves Chelsea fourth and United in 13th after 10 league games – the latter’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season.

Man Utd player ratings

Andre Onana: Very nearly gifted Chelsea a goal with an early hospital pass to Casemiro and relatively unchallenged apart from that. 5/10

Diogo Dalot: Produced some decent chances from his long balls and defended well considering he spent the entire second half on a yellow card. 6/10

Matthijs de Ligt: This wasn’t a match where centre-backs played a huge role. Allowed Jackson too easy access to the ball, but luckily the Chelsea forward didn’t use that space well. 6/10

Lisandro Martinez: Didn’t allow anything from Gusto or Madueke down Chelsea’s right. Could and should have been sent off late on for a wayward challenge on Palmer. 5/10

Noussair Mazraoui: A solid performance at left-back, progressing the ball well and largely shutting down Madueke. 7/10

Manuel Ugarte: The sort of player who is supposed to be everywhere but ended up nowhere. Looked lost against Chelsea’s midfield duo, completed just 22 passes and made repeated fouls. 3/10

Casemiro: The better of United’s midfield pairing but not by a huge amount. Too immobile to properly deal with Cole Palmer. 5/10

Marcus Rashford: Needed to do better with the best chance of the first half but otherwise suffered from a serious lack of supply. 5/10

Bruno Fernandes: Lost the midfield battle with Caicedo but grew into game and created a run of late chances. Took his penalty well. 6/10

Alejandro Garnacho: Anonymous for large parts and snatched at three excellent chances. 4/10

Rasmus Hojlund: Won the crucial penalty but otherwise looked like an academy player brought in to solve an injury crisis, not a £64m signing. 4/10

Substitutes

Amad Diallo: 5/10

Joshua Zirkzee: N/A

Victor Lindelof: N/A

Chelsea player ratings

Robert Sanchez: Didn’t have a huge amount to do until conceding a brainless penalty with Hojlund running away from him. Cost Chelsea the game. 3/10

Malo Gusto: Functional defensively but repeatedly broke up attacks by making the wrong pass and deservedly hooked at half-time. 4/10

Wesley Fofana: Possibly could have done better in the build-up to United’s penalty and should have avoided Madueke from a corner early on. 5/10

Levi Colwill: Helped keep Hojlund and Garnacho out of the match and was crisp with his passing. Dealt well with a late United chance. 6/10

Reece James: Unsurprisingly not wholly perfect out of position and so close to a long lay-off, but James is a remarkable player. Ran Chelsea’s attack from left-back but more restricted when moved onto the right. 7/10

Moises Caicedo: The Ecuadorean has become every inch an £115m footballer. The only player able to consistently impose some class and control and scored a sharp equaliser. 8/10

Romeo Lavia: Continues to be a revelation alongside Caicedo. Faded slightly in the second half but excellent in the first. 7/10

Noni Madueke: Hit the post from a header early on, but that was his most significant contribution as Mazraoui and Martinez got the better of him. 4/10

Cole Palmer: Had moments of impossible class as usual, yet made some uncharacteristically poor, even selfish, decisions in the final third. 6/10

Pedro Neto: Tried to make things happen, but wasn’t quite able to. The most consistently dangerous of Chelsea’s attackers. 6/10

Nicolas Jackson: One of his most confused performances in a Chelsea shirt for some time. Only managed one shot all game but could have set up a Fernandez equaliser. 4/10

Substitutes

Marc Cucurella: 6/10

Enzo Fernandez: 5/10

Mykhailo Mudryk: 6/10

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Tottenham 4-1 Aston Villa (Johnson 49′, Solanke 75′, 79′, Maddison 90+5′ \ Rogers 32′)

When Dominic Solanke signed for Spurs in August, he would have dreamed of days like Sunday. Of scoring in front of the vast south stand, celebrating with a nod to his beloved anime and hearing all four corners of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium singing his name.

The moment duly arrived during a thrilling 4-1 comeback win over Aston Villa in which Solanke scored the decisive second and third goals. His Spurs career has lift off.

When Brennan Johnson nipped in ahead of Solanke to convert Son Heung-min’s sumptuous cross to the back post it seemed symptomatic of the £65m striker’s spell in north London. At times, Solanke has looked cursed, arriving either a split second ahead or behind the ball as it spins and squirms out of his reach in the six-yard box.

Before Sunday, Solanke had gone six games without a goal and taken only three shots on goal in that time. His relentless work off the ball meant that Spurs supporters had taken to him anyway, but a goal or two always helps to strengthen that connection.

Here was proof that he can offer both endeavour and end product. His first finish which turned the game in Tottenham’s favour was exquisite, a delightful dink over the onrushing Emi Martinez as Dejan Kulusevski’s cute defence-splitting pass rolled across his body.

Even in a fallow period, Solanke’s striker’s instincts have remained sharp. He didn’t look up once. The goalposts don’t move.

Solanke’s second that followed just four minutes after his first might have pleased Postecoglou even more. He was in the right place at the right time to bundle in Richarlison’s cut-back in front of an empty net.

The simple finishes are ones that strikers cherish, a reward for the hours spent honing their instincts and timing their runs on the training pitch. Solanke followed the ball into the net.

The goals will lift a weight from Solanke’s shoulders, but they will not change him. Four minutes into 10 added on he hurtled back towards his own goal to dispossess Pau Torres and initiate a Spurs counter-attack midway through Aston Villa’s half. It was a moment that sparked more adulation from the stands and applause from his manager.

Solanke made more successful pressures in the final third than any other Premier League player last season. It was a big reason why Postecoglou wanted him. Spurs press high in a bid to win the ball as close to their opposition’s goal as possible and so bought the best pressing forward in the division.

The big question mark over Solanke when he joined was whether he could successfully fill the goalscoring void that opened up when Harry Kane left. A strike rate of four in eight league matches looks far healthier than two from seven did.

Before Solanke’s clinical chip, it was unclear how a seven-day period in which Spurs had lost dismally at Selhurst Park and beaten Manchester City magnificently would end. Spurs spent large swathes of the first-half camped in Aston Villa’s half before succumbing to a familiar frailty as Morgan Rogers became the latest beneficiary of their set-piece sloppiness.

Johnson’s goal was perfectly timed, arriving less than five minutes after Spurs had been booed off at half-time. It was the Welshman’s seventh club goal of the campaign and encapsulated his own turnaround in fortunes after facing fierce criticism in the early autumn.

Solanke’s double took the game away from Aston Villa, but James Maddison had the final say with a sublime free-kick that left Martinez statuesque. It was a lovely moment for Maddison who had been left out of the starting line-up and only summoned late on with his side already 3-1 up.

Spurs have now won nine of their last 11 matches in all competitions and are now just two points behind their north London neighbours Arsenal in fourth.

As Freed From Desire bellowed from the speakers, it was difficult to shake the feeling that momentum is finally building, for both Spurs and their centre forward.

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Guilty only of failing to match Manchester City‘s exacting standards in their last two Premier League title tilts, Arsenal must be kicking themselves that they are now architects of their own downfall at a time when Pep Guardiola’s champions look more vulnerable than ever.

To lose at St James’ Park is not a new experience for Mikel Arteta, who departed licking his wounds after a third defeat from four at Newcastle. But this time, as even Arteta himself admitted, there was no ill discipline or refereeing error to hide behind as an excuse for a misstep.

The problem here was a lack of imagination and the longer term issue of recruitment failures that have left them exposed as injuries begin to bite. Both were equally culpable for their latest away day failure which poses searching questions about whether they have actually progressed since coming so close to toppling City last season.

It could have been worse for Arsenal, who mustered just a single shot on target and were unable to muster even a late cavalry charge when the precocious Ethan Nwaneri was belatedly summoned from the bench. City’s stumble at Bournemouth means the Gunners remain seven points adrift of top spot: not yet terminal for Premier League hopes but leaving them supping in last chance saloon and with little room for error.

The worst part? No one at the Emirates can hide from the inconvenient truth that they have made it much more difficult for themselves by failing to sign adequate cover for Martin Odegaard and an inability to procure an elite striker who might have pressed home Arsenal’s early advantage on Saturday.

Afterwards defender William Saliba spoke of “sticking together” and of retaining belief that they could win the title. But perhaps the most damning indictment of where they are right now is his assertion that “at big clubs you have to be able to win big matches without big players”.

Arsenal just can’t do that right now and the reason is the huge deficit of creativity and enterprise in midfield since Odegaard’s injury in September. Mikel Merino was not signed to carry water but he wasn’t recruited to carry the Gunners’ title hopes either. As he showed in the summer with Spain, he is there to compliment others capable of unpicking defences rather than doing that job himself.

Perhaps the money spent on him could have been better invested in someone capable of stepping in for Odegaard because Arteta doesn’t seem prepared to sacrifice his team’s solidity for Nwaneri. He is Arsenal’s X Factor but is wasted being brought on in the sort of game that Saturday developed into.

“They are really good at what they want to do,” was Arteta’s slightly salty assessment of Newcastle’s disrupting approach, which was pitch perfect for the occasion. But it will have been lost on no one that Bruno Guimaraes – the game’s most creative player – and goalscorer Alexander Isak have been on Arteta’s radar in the past.

“I love my players and wouldn’t swap them for anyone else,” was how he artfully side-stepped the inevitable question about whether he’d wished he had Isak in his team. i understands that Arsenal, curiously, aren’t even interested in him at the moment.

There is not much Arteta or Arsenal’s decision-makers can do about personnel right now, other than welcome Odegaard back with open arms for their midweek Champions League assignment against Inter. He will add a new dimension to their forward play, which looked so mediocre at Newcastle.

We are used to Arsenal pulling and pushing teams into an uncomfortable space with their pace and power under Arteta. But Newcastle were never under threat: the moment when their goalkeeper Nick Pope claimed an aimless Bukayo Saka cross in the 96th minute summing up their attacking efforts. They lacked direction and it needs to be fixed quickly.

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In a team as talented as Liverpool’s, heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Match-winner Mohamed Salah cannot be handed the cape, as his trademark strike that killed an impressive Brighton off is right out of the Egyptian’s coaching manual – a stunning curler having cut inside.

It was also the 32-year-old’s 48th match-winning goal in the Premier League, with only five players netting more in the competition’s history. To be classed as a hero, you have to do something out of character, something few, other than the Anfield masses, have seen before.

Managers like Arne Slot need Curtis Joneses. A player who will do anything, at any time, for their boss.

Jones spoke so glowingly of Slot in the summer that he had to explain that he meant no disrespect to Jurgen Klopp. Some players just suit certain managers down to the ground. Slot just gets Jones, and vice versa.

Klopp put less emphasis on the midfield and more on that now famous Gegenpress, from the front. Slot is all about control, which comes from the midfield. Hence why Jones thrives in such a unit.

It looked like the writing was on the wall for Liverpool at Anfield, with Brighton playing some bedazzling football in the first half to make the hosts to look rather foolish.

With injuries to key attackers hindering Slot’s options from the bench, he elected instead to revamp his favoured part of the pitch, withdrawing Alexis Mac Allister and the even more ineffectual Dominik Szoboszlai.

Neither of the outgoing Liverpool pair could string more than a few passes together, nor could they win a tackle.

Jones immediately got the crowd off their feet, and when Anfield gets its back up, more often than not opponents are sent packing with their tails between their legs. Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler admitted as such after the match, his players getting dragged in.

The equaliser that cancelled out Ferdi Kadioglu’s superb first-half opener was on the fortunate side, with Cody Gakpo’s cross evading everyone before finding the far corner.

The winner 128 seconds later, however, was much more vintage Liverpool, instigated by a driving force conspicuous by its absence before his second-half introduction.

Driving from the edge of his own box, holding off several challenges, playing a one-two to create space, before finding Salah, Jones could let the Egyptian do his thing, moving to outright eighth position in the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer charts.

That hunger and desire is why Slot values Jones so highly. Teams when they are down need a spark.

“We didn’t show up in the first half,” Slot said. “We faced a very good team, but we needed something else in the first half. The players understood that we needed more.

“When you bring Curtis Jones in, it is not much of a risk. You know these players can play with the intensity that we need.”

Another of Slot’s changes deserves a mention, with Joe Gomez putting in a flawless second-half display in place of the injured Ibrahima Konate.

But in Jones, whether from the start or off the bench in his hour of need, Slot know he has someone he can turn to, safe in the knowledge he can depend on his return.

Salah will continue to be the headline-grabber, but without the Joneses of this world, Slot cannot begin to dream of being a Premier League success, and in a season where there will be more twists and turns than a Snakes and Ladders board, the unsung heroes can have a big say.

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ST JAMES’ PARK – A vivid reminder that big games aren’t always won by the biggest of players.

Newcastle United hammered another nail in Arsenal’s title coffin thanks to a header of rare quality by Alexander Isak but the architect of this vital victory was their unsung No 36 Sean Longstaff.

He was the balance Newcastle have been missing, the outstretched shin on the rare occasions Arsenal broke the lines, the cover Bruno Guimaraes needed and the energy Mikel Arteta’s flagging side couldn’t match.

Too often Longstaff is under the microscope at St James’ Park for what he can’t do. When the team sheet landed and Sandro Tonali – the dynamo of their season-altering midweek win against Chelsea – was omitted it felt like a big call from Eddie Howe.

But Howe is a believer in balance. What his critics sometimes mistake for loyalty or reverence for homegrown players is actual fact a recognition that Newcastle’s formula only fizzes if his stars have support. Tonali and Guimaraes works on paper but in practice, it is Longstaff plus another that yields the best results.

This win comes at the end of a week that has answered some big questions. Only the most incorrigible were seriously questioning Howe after they were left harpooned in mid-table but Newcastle needed results to illustrate the behind-the-scenes serenity wasn’t misplaced.

Wins against Chelsea and now Arsenal – both achieved with clean sheets – return them to the Champions League conversation.

Everyone in black and white was “at it”. Isak’s goal – his third in three since contract talks slowed – was evidence of his sharpening instinct while Anthony Gordon’s cross capped his best performance of the season. His heat map glowed white with the amount of work he got through.

And a word for another outstanding performance from the superb Lewis Hall at left-back, handed the role of nullifying Bukayo Saka. Hall could barely get in the Newcastle squad as he underwent a lengthy period of adjustment during his loan from Chelsea last season, now he looks every inch an accomplished Premier League left-back. Wherever Thomas Tuchel is sat this weekend, he should be paying attention to Hall’s progress.

Arsenal were so subdued you could be forgiven for forgetting what was resting on it for them. They lacked endeavour and creativity, unable to plug in the gaps left by the injured Martin Odegaard. They began with ferocity but had no answer after Newcastle’s first half opener: a terrific Isak header from Gordon’s cross which had echoes of that famous link-up between Keith Gillespie and Faustino Asprilla when Barcelona were downed nearly 30 years ago.

For Newcastle the “swarm” – the in-house epithet they use to describe a ferocious press that hunts in packs – is back. A midfield that had been bypassed with alarming ease at Stamford Bridge a week ago has been reconfigured and returned to a better balance of industry and enterprise. That Arsenal got stung raises fresh questions about the direction of travel under Arteta.

To sit five points behind Manchester City before kick-off is bad enough for a team that began the season with cast-iron title aspirations. To see that gap extended by the end of the first weekend of November feels terminal for their Premier League ambitions in an era where City have set such a high standard.

And they could have no one to blame but themselves. The long Arteta-led hangover from their contentious defeat on the same ground last season provided Newcastle with a perfect blueprint to repeat the feat: close down space, snap into tackles, break up play, frustrate and operate in the grey area that make decisions difficult for officials.

That Howe picked a team to do all of those things was a surprise to no-one. That Newcastle were rarely tugged out of their comfort zone was probably down to Arsenal starting with Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz, who were contained with a measure of ease by a black and white barrier barely breached.

Ethan Nwaneri, summoned for the final quarter, is a man in form and has the unpredictability that Premier League defences dread. Why is Arteta not trusting him in big games like this?

The Gunners were utterly mediocre, not even able to fall back on injustice or ill discipline here. The stats suggested they’d had one shot on target but it was difficult to recall it. Theirs has been a peculiarly fragile title tilt.

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Manchester United are rumoured to be eyeing up a raid of Portugal-based talent in the coming transfer windows after confirming the appointment of Ruben Amorim.

In a strategy that – if executed – the club and its fans alike will hope pans out better than Erik Ten Hag’s affinity for his own former players proved to, United could look to convince several Sporting Lisbon players to follow Amorim across the Channel as early as next year.

The Portuguese head coach will reportedly enjoy less direct say in recruitment than his predecessors, i understands.

But with the 39-year-old having enjoyed success by developing young players that fit his energetic, high-pressing 3-4-3 formation and style, it’s possible he could look to convince the Old Trafford hierarchy that a few changes will need to be made, despite the fact that Ten Hag’s departure and the compensation paid to Sporting for Amorim will further deplete the funds available for new arrivals.

Here are some of the key transfer targets Amorim might look to bring in after taking the reins at Old Trafford.

Viktor Gyokeres

At United, Amorim will reunite with former Sporting charge Manuel Ugarte, who he spent two years with in Portugal before the Uruguayan joined PSG and then headed to Manchester.

But if he wants a player with whom he has shared his most recent successes, Amorim will have to battle teams including Arsenal for the signature of prolific goal scorer Viktor Gyokeres.

The 26-year-old Swede, formerly of Brighton and Coventry City, signed for Sporting in a five-year deal in July 2023, going on to score 43 goals in 50 matches as he helped his side lift the Primeira Liga title. This season to date, he’s netted 16 in 15 appearances.

6 ft 2, quick on the turn and with the ball and a powerful force of a striker, he has already proven to be a perfect fit for the Amorim system, and could provide the goals that United desperately lack and current options Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee are failing to deliver consistently.

United will face competition and a hefty fee – a €100m (£80m) release clause – if they are to be the ones to lure him away from Lisbon.

But the links to Amorim can surely only be a plus; and, if the Red Devils cut down on spending where possible over the rest of the season, Sky Germany claims there is an agreement where Gyökeres can leave next summer for somewhere in the region of £50-60m.

Benjamin Sesko

There is, of course, every chance that Amorim could be the one to help Hojlund tap into the goal-scoring gene that many at United still believe he possesses – and with big spending looking increasingly unlikely in January, the two (as well as Zirkzee) should have time to try and gel before any more competition is brought in.

But if the new head coach can’t get a tune out of his existing forwards, and Gyokeres opts to stay at Sporting or head elsewhere – including to the blue half of Manchester where Hugo Viana, who signed the Swede from Coventry, will become director of football next summer – then it might be time to get back on the phone with the agent of young Benjamin Sesko.

The towering Slovenian remained at RB Leipzig despite widespread interest in his services over the summer, and even extended his contract through to 2029 with a £55m release clause.

Still just 21 years old, Šeško was sought after by United as a teenage sensation in Salzburg two years ago, and has helped Leipzig to joint top of the Bundesliga table after the first eight matches of this season.

“Extremely fast”, two-footed, “more technical” than Erling Haaland, and an imposing figure at just under six and a half feet tall, Šeško was rumoured to have reignited United’s interest in the days prior to Ten Hag’s exit.

Whether that interest will remain under the new coaching regime therefore remains to be seen, but the Slovenia international certainly shares some key attributes with the likes of Gyokeres.

Again, though, multiple top teams – including Arsenal – are understood to still be vying for the big front man.

Click here to read more about Sesko and his career so far, from those who know the former basketball prodigy well.

Marcus Edwards

Back in Lisbon, another Sporting attacker rumoured to be on Amorim’s wishlist is Marcus Edwards.

The 25-year-old Spurs academy product – once dubbed “mini Messi” by then-boss Mauricio Pochettino – has impressed since moving to Primeira Liga in 2019, becoming far and away the top English scorer in the league’s history during spells at Vitória de Guimarães and then Sporting, who he joined for a fee of around €8m (£6m) in January 2022.

A left-footed right winger, Edwards is a skilful dribbler with an eye for both scoring and creating – 12 goals and 14 assists in 2022-23, six and nine last season from fewer matches – and could be an ideal replacement for Antony if the out-of-favour Brazilian is loaned away or even sold in an upcoming transfer window.

Edwards is clearly used to Amorim and his style of play and is versatile, capable of operating both out wide and as an attacking midfielder. To counteract United’s lack of depth in the position, and comparative overstaffing in midfield, there’s also a chance he – or indeed the likes of Amad, or even Antony if he stays – could be converted into a wing-back similar to the transformation of Geovany Quenda at Sporting this season.

His contract at Sporting runs until June 2026, with Spurs poised to profit from a sell-on clause contained within it if any suitors come calling.

Ousmane Diomande

While some United players who ploy their trade in the middle of the park may find themselves surplus to requirements under Amorim, that is unlikely to be the case for the current crop of defensive troops at Old Trafford – particularly the centre backs.

Provided the new boss sticks to the general system that his brought success and gained him so many admirers in recent years, United will switch to a back three for the first time since early in the Louis van Gaal era back in 2014.

Injuries and form are among the reasons we’ve seen so many United centre-back partnerships in recent months, but Amorim would – at the time of writing, and once all are fit – be able to choose three from Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.

Many of those are injury prone, ageing, looking elsewhere or lack experience in a back three, though; so Amorim may plead with Ineos to help fund another option, such as Ousmane Diomande.

A commanding physical presence, the 20-year-old Ivory Coast international was an integral part of Sporting’s title-winning backline last season, though he is understood to come with another eye-watering release clause of around £70m.

But the in-demand young star could be a coup for the future if Amorim can convince United to splash the cash and the player to swap Lisbon for Manchester.

Again keeping it in-house, 23-year-old Gonçalo Inacio is another Sporting centre-back who Amorim could reportedly be keen on bringing to the Premier League.

Alvaro Fernandez Carreras

Given the oft injury-stricken pair of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are unlikely to present the most appealing options at left wing-back, Amorim may push for United to bring back a Carrington academy graduate who only left Manchester this summer: Alvaro Fernandez Carreras.

The 21-year-old made a successful loan spell in Benfica a permanent move at the end of last season, for a reported fee of about £5m.

But as well as a sell-on clause, his former club also have both matching rights and a buy-back clause, which is reportedly in the region of £16m and can be triggered up until the 2026 summer transfer window.

Before he was sacked, Ten Hag confirmed United were already interested in bringing the Spaniard back from Portugal – and he could provide a relatively simple fix to one of Amorim’s first potential line-up problems at Old Trafford.

Another option reportedly under consideration is Wolves’s Rayan Ait-Nouri. The 23-year-old performed well at Molineux last season and despite his side’s struggles so far in this campaign, has been a bright spark with three goals and two assists through their first nine matches.

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Was this the week Manchester United finally got something right? Ineos, desperate to break the doom cycle, sacked and appointed managers in the space of five days. That they could and should have done this in the summer is no less true but the force of the point is lessened with the announcement of Ruben Amorim as Erik ten Hag’s successor.

United moved swiftly to secure Amorim, who will begin work at Old Trafford at the start of the international break on 11 November and take charge of his first match at Ipswich Town on 24 November. Whether interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy will have a meaningful role under Amorim remains unclear. The club would confirm only that he will oversee the next three fixtures against Chelsea, PAOK and Leicester City.

As well as he did on Wednesday night teasing from United a performance full of goals and endeavour to breeze past Leicester in the Carabao Cup, Van Nistelrooy’s future is ultimately a secondary concern. They have their rocket man, a figure they believe has the personality and technical grasp necessary for lift off.

Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe waved his United scarf on Christmas Eve last year, his takeover of the football operation has been a fitful plod of staggered appointments, mixed messaging and wrong turns. The hiring of Amorim allows United to draw a line under the messy mismanagement of Ten Hag’s summer reprieve and say with conviction, “Welcome to Manchester”.

Football fans have short memories when the goals are going in. After Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester resurrection and the Amorim announcement it feels as if Ten Hag has been completely rubbed out, like he never happened.

Amorim represents the start of something vigorous and fresh, the reset promised by Ineos 10 months ago that thus far they have struggled to deliver.

The superstar vibe of Amorim was reinforced by the front page of United’s official website, a portrait of the 39-year-old casting him in a matinee idol glow. The soft-focus, pensive gaze was both reflective and dynamic, suggestive of a high-end polymath unveiling a new, unique way of seeing the game.

Everybody is looking for the next Pep Guardiola. It is clear United think Amorim is that man.

“Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly-rated young coaches in European football,” a club statement trilled.

“Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP; the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years.”

Since Amorim has never coached anywhere other than Portugal and at only three clubs, there is an element of risk in this for United. That said, it is arguably no greater than the gamble taken by Barcelona in appointing Guardiola straight from the B team in 2008. That didn’t work out too badly, and it appears there are enough people in the game persuaded of Amorim’s qualities to justify the swoop.

United might also take comfort from the example of Enzo Maresca at Sunday’s opponents Chelsea, who landed at Stamford Bridge after only one year as senior coach at Leicester, and that in the second tier. Maresca assumed control of a chaotic environment with a squad renewing rapidly and seemingly without any clear sense of direction.

He brings a team to Old Trafford flourishing under his organisation, with a style of play that is easy on the eye. Chelsea appeared an even bigger basket case than United last term, but benefited from a managerial switch just 12 months after the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino. Where Pochettino appeared at odds with a policy of player acquisition that he saw as disruptive, Maresca accepted the players at his disposal and quickly identified a shape that maximised potential.

This is the remit of the modern coach, to harness talent identified by an autonomous technical department. Guardiola might be regarded as the master of the art, who accepts the gifts of talented players identified by others. Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Savinho are just the latest examples.

To work, this requires a system grooved from top to bottom, where players are bought to fit into an established pattern. It should also mitigate against the disruption of managerial change. United are not there yet, which is why it is so important that Amorim’s appointment results in the delivery of an identifiable style.

Van Nistelrooy made this point himself when assessing the impact Amorim might make. “It’s something that is interesting to think about because in the end, in football it happens so much. The team, a club, is also in the process of signing players, it’s also in combination with the manager. It’s difficult to comment on what the process would be with the new manager.”

One of the first decision’s Amorim must make concerns the future of Van Nistelrooy himself. Van Nistelrooy is four months into a two-year contract as assistant coach. Amorim comes with his own staff and ideas. You can see how Van Nistelrooy might just be in the way.

Alternatively Amorim might value the connectivity Van Nistelrooy brings to the piece, a former player who drew on his iconic status to empower the squad against Leicester. It was a classic bounce-back performance that might yet have the legs to overrun Chelsea.

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Manchester United have appointed their first ever head coach in Ruben Amorim, with the wording of his new job title rather significant.

Sources have told The i Paper that Amorim was their top target as he represents a difference brand of coach to what came before – and unlike previous bosses, he will not be described as “manager”.

Despite the club’s reputation for dragging out the capture of new arrivals, United moved at breakneck speed to bring him in from Sporting Lisbon, only five days after Erik ten Hag was finally put out of his misery.

While the club had initially hoped he would be released by Sporting sooner, Amorim won’t be in place for a few weeks yet and will take charge of his first match against Ipswich Town on 24 November, officially starting work on 11 November.

Since Ineos got their feet under the desk at Old Trafford, they have been adamant that the right footballing structure must be put in place before any revival can begin. Hiring Amorim is just another part of this vision becoming a reality.

Recruitment will be left to others, as was supposed to happen under Ten Hag before he made the United dressing room a poor imitation of an Ajax tribute band.

Amorim is there to do what Ineos are desperate to see – instill an identity and a recognisable style of play, conspicuous by its absence for over a decade.

The dealbreaker that persuaded Liverpool to go for Arne Slot over Amorim was the Portuguese’s penchant for a three-at-the-back system. Ineos are not in the hunt for a manager with a particular formation preference, they just want an identifiable playing philosophy.

Ten Hag enjoyed initial success at United, playing some of the best football we have seen in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. But much of that initial success was based around the quality of individuals he possessed, rather than any exciting brand of football he had encouraged himself. After two-and-a-half years in Manchester, we are none the wiser as to what Ten Hag-ball is.

Amorim’s age was a deciding factor too. Numerous recent squads have had the talent but lacked the freshness of ideas from above. The 39-year-old will bring innovation that has been severely lacking in his predecessors and help the club start all over again.

Whatever United may say, at some point Thomas Tuchel was very much the first choice to replace Ten Hag before the German succeeded Gareth Southgate as England boss. However, there were doubts among many behind the scenes as to whether the abrasive former Chelsea manager would fit into Ineos’ vision.

Amorim very much does. Happy to work his magic on the training ground with the players he has got, expect United to finally get a more recognisable approach that is theirs and theirs alone.

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Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Ruben Amorim as their new head coach on a contract running until June 2027.

It is understood United did not speak to any other coaches and the deal – subject to work visa requirements – contains the option of an additional year, with a compensation package in excess of £8m agreed with Sporting CP.

Amorim will officially take charge on 11 November after fulfilling obligations with the Primeira Liga club, which means his first match in the dugout will be an away trip to Ipswich Town.

In a statement, United described Amorim as “one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football.

“Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP, the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years.”

The make-up of United’s new backroom staff is yet to be confirmed but Amorim has previously worked with Adelio Candido and Carlos Fernandes, first-team coach Emanuel Ferro and goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital. He has expressed a desire to bring them with him.

United have deliberately opted for a notably different profile of manager, as part of the club’s wider evolution under Ineos. Amorim is thought to have particularly impressed the club’s hierarchy due to his development of young players and style of play.

A delegation was sent to Lisbon on Monday to approach Sporting and ask for Amorim to be released earlier than his existing notice period. He will now join three weeks earlier than would have otherwise been possible.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will continue to lead United until Amorim’s arrival, having overseen a 5-2 victory over Leicester City in the Carbaao Cup in his first game as interim manager.

The Dutchman’s longer term future on the coaching staff is still uncertain, hinting after Wednesday’s last-16 tie that he would like to remain at Old Trafford under the new regime.

“I felt that I was called upon to help the club forward in the situation and obviously it was difficult that Erik [ten Hag] had to leave,” he said.

“It was very disappointing, obviously with mixed feelings, but after that you have to switch the mindset to win because in the end there’s 75,000 people waiting and celebrating, and millions watching at home.

“I think that’s what we try to do and same for Sunday at least, then after that we’ll see.”

Ineos have moved swiftly to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked on 28 October, the day after a controversial 2-1 defeat to West Ham United. Ten Hag, who was already in place when Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his takeover in December 2023, left with the club 14th in the Premier League table.

Amorim’s appointment comes after he was courted by West Ham at the end of last season and represents one of the first major acid tests of Ineos’ strategy. It will be portrayed as a major coup, with the Portuguese coach having been mooted as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola.

After Sporting’s game against Estrela da Amadora on Friday night, the 39-year-old will go head to head with the Manchester City boss in the Champions League on 5 November, before overseeing one final match against Braga before moving to England.

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