Ruben Amorim’s last visit to Old Trafford with former club Braga acts as a cruel reminder of the fight Manchester United have been missing.
With Erik ten Hag’s days in Manchester numbered, the task of looking for a successor has now been completed. Amorim agreed a deal earlier this week and has now been announced as the club's new manager.
The club's hierarchy will hope that the Portuguese coach will bring with him a work ethic that has seen his Sporting side lift a pair of league titles and a trio of domestic cups – as it’s fight and determination that the current squad appears to have lacked.
However, the days of United rolling over for opponents - epitomised during their 3-0 losses to both Liverpool and Tottenham earlier this term - weren't always the norm, as evidenced by Amorim’s visit to Old Trafford during his playing days.
The incoming United manager played for Braga in the 2012 Champions League, and a trip to Manchester started better than many would have expected.
Veteran Brazilian striker Alan netted twice inside 20 minutes to give Amorim and his side a shock 2-0 lead. But, characteristically under Sir Alex Ferguson, a comeback soon appeared on the cards as Javier Hernandez halved the deficit five minutes later.
It would take until the 62nd minute for Jonny Evans - who still plays for the club - to equalise before ‘Chicharito’ completed a spirited redemption 15 minutes before the end.
The last time this Red Devils team came back to crush a two-goal deficit was in December 2023, during a Boxing Day clash which saw Rasmus Hojlund's 82nd-minute strike earn a 3-2 win over Aston Villa. But that's not been the case far too often in recent years.
Ten Hag's recent comments about their defeat to Tottenham in September summed up the lack of belief around the club. “I ignore that game against Spurs because we were down to 10 with a 1-0 losing position and then the red card was overturned," he shockingly admitted.
"That is not a fair assessment because we didn’t have the chance to bounce back. Everyone agreed it was not the right decision, that it was an injustice and it is also an injustice to assess the team on that performance.”
If he had no faith in his players fighting back, it's no surprise they're severely lacking in that department. With the arrival of Amorim, there's an air of anticipation that he might extract even more from the squad than Ten Hag managed, especially having witnessed the potential of a fully charged United team.