Ruben Amorim has admitted that he will not be able to fully implement his preferred playing style at Sporting Lisbon when he takes charge of Manchester United at the start of the November international break.
The 39-year-old will officially become Man United's new head coach on November 11, meaning that he has just one more game in charge of Sporting - a Primeira Liga fixture against Braga on Sunday night.
Sporting thumped Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening to make it seven straight wins in all competitions, and much has been made of Amorim's 3-4-3 formation, with the Portuguese said to be looking to set Man United up in a similar way.
However, after guiding his side to a standout win over the Premier League champions, Amorim has said that he "will have to adapt" when he moves to Manchester due to the expectations at Old Trafford.
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Amorim says Man United 'cannot play like Sporting'
"It was written it had to be like this," Amorim told reporters after the European win over Man City.
"I already said previously you cannot transport one reality into another. At Manchester United you cannot play exactly like this. You cannot play so defensively and so there we will have to adapt. Clearly it is really difficult to beat this team and to beat Pep Guardiola. And he is not a worse manager than me.
"It will be a completely different world, a different team, we won't have that much time to train and we will begin from a different starting point. People can make their own judgements but I say to the people of Manchester that this was a one-off.
"It is [this result] misleading. We were very lucky in this game. But the feeling with my players, the way they celebrated the win with the fans, was very special.
"I take this to the Premier League. When I arrive there it will be a different world, with different pressure. I will try to be the same. It will be fun - very fun - and I am ready for the challenge."
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Ten Hag previously admitted Man United 'could not play like Ajax'
Erik ten Hag previously said that Man United would not be able to play like Ajax amid criticisms of his brand of football at Old Trafford.
"I can't play like Ajax because I have different players," Ten Hag said in May 2023. "I came here with my philosophy, based on possession, but I wanted to combine it with the DNA of Manchester United, the players and their characters. I want to emphasise more on going direct."
Ten Hag's work at Ajax saw him handed the Man United job, but the Dutchman's time with the 20-time English champions came to an end on October 28 following the 2-1 defeat at West Ham United in the Premier League.
Ruud van Nistelrooy remains in charge of the Red Devils on an interim basis, and the Dutchman will lead the team into their next two games against PAOK and Leicester City in the Europa League and Premier League respectively before stepping aside for Amorim, but it is still unclear whether Van Nistelrooy will remain at Old Trafford moving forward.
Matt Law
