Ruben Amorim's intolerance for misbehaviour saw the Manchester United boss almost release a former player for tardiness - despite the pair having been friends since they were children. The 39-year-old has already cultivated an image of a no-nonsense manager despite arriving at Old Trafford in November. His treatment of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho - who were both dumped from the Manchester derby matchday squad last month for their attitudes to training - were telling indicators that he'll not stand for anything but giving 100% at all times.
His strict personality as a football coach stems back to his first foray into management back in 2018 when he took charge of Portuguese club Casa Pia. While he was only in the dugout for six months before resigning, Amorim's stringent rules had already become part of his coaching philosophy.
During his time at the club, he had managed his childhood friend Bruno Simao who'd known Amorim since they were nine years of age. The pair were teammates at the youth teams of Belenenses and Benfica and had reunited at Casa Pia. However, their friendship wasn't enough from Amorim almost banishing Simao from the club after he'd missed a training session. "He’s so strict that on the day I missed a training session, I was done – I wouldn’t play under him again," the 39-year-old told The Telegraph.
"The only reason why I wasn’t let go was because the other players changed his mind. Then I had a chat with him and explained everything, but in his strictness, regardless of the degree of friendship, regardless of where I had played or whatever, for him, there are no names, no data, no status. Everyone is equal," he recalled.
