DAILY MAIL 🔵 Former Man United star tells Ruben Amorim what he MUST do to show bosses he’s the right man for the job after positive start to 2025-26 season
Ruben Amorim needs to take Manchester United back into Europe this season to show the Old Trafford hierarchy he is the right man for the job, says Mikael Silvestre.
United recorded their lowest-ever finish in the Premier League last season after Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag in November, and dropped out of European competition for only the second time in 35 years when they lost the Europa League final to Tottenham.
However, Amorim’s side moved up to seventh place in the table following Sunday’s win at Crystal Palace, and Silvestre believes the Portuguese coach has got his old club moving in the right direction.
‘I think they are moving forward slowly because there is no magic wand,’ said Silvestre, who won four titles, the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup after joining United from Inter Milan in 1999.
‘This was his first pre-season and first transfer market. The players they have signed, you can see between Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and the goalkeeper Senne Lammens, they have signed key players and if they are fit they are starting games.
‘So we need to give him more time and he obviously needs to earn the trust and confidence of the board by finishing in Europe – I’m not talking about the Champions League. I think the team is looking much better than last season.’
Much of Amorim’s first year in charge has been dominated by talk around his switch to a back-three and 3-4-2-1 system. Silvestre, who played as a centre-back and left-back under Sir Alex Ferguson, insists the change should not be ‘rocket science’ for the current squad.
Speaking to Poker Scout, he added: ‘I had to play in that system when I moved from France to Inter Milan. I played mainly as a left wing-back and I played centre-back as well in that system in France before.
‘It’s challenging because of the space you need to cover. The dynamic is different. From the back to the midfield is different as well. It’s just a matter of working on it – it’s not rocket science.
‘You need to work on it in training, in the video and learn about it. It’s not that difficult. For the centre-back it’s tactically (different) and for the wing-backs – whether you play with an offensive, which is Amad (Diallo) sometimes, or you have (Diogo) Dalot, (Noussair) Mazraoui or (Patrick) Dorgu – you have to be super-fit because it’s a lot of ground to cover.
‘Tactically it’s difficult but physically also it’s extremely demanding because they expect you to have an impact on both boxes.
‘For me, it’s not a problem, it’s just that you need to work on it. It takes a bit of time, especially if you’ve never done it before in your career. You have been through the academy level, you play reserve and then you play first-team. If you always play four at the back, it’s a different beast for sure. It’s not overnight that you get the balance right.’
Silvestre, now 48, left Old Trafford for Arsenal in 2008 and believes the Gunners are on course for their first title success in 22 years.
‘I think they will win it,’ said the Frenchman. ‘They are in a stronger position than the previous season and also they are benefitting from the bad form of Liverpool.
‘From champions to what they are doing now, Liverpool are very inconsistent. Manchester City are still trying to get into their rhythm. If you combine the two, their own performances and the way the direct opponents are performing, I think this is the year.
‘Mikel Arteta has shown constant progress. He got the players to believe, he got the ownership to believe in the project, and he tried to improve the squad every summer and transfer window.
‘It took time; they were facing a top City and a top Liverpool, and finished second that many times. It’s not that easy but they kept everybody believing they are close.
‘For a young manager to keep faith and not to listen to the outside noise, I think that’s one of his strengths.’