Ruben Amorim’s right-hand man has broken his silence to take a swipe at Manchester United’s players for not implementing their tactics.
Amorim was sacked in January following a bombshell press conference after drawing away to Leeds United in which he took on his bosses and looked to settle scores as the walls closed in on his time at the club.
Amorim himself has not commented since being dismissed at Old Trafford but Adelio Candido, one of his coaches while at United and a close confidant, has spoken out.
‘Experience is always experience, whether the outcome is good or bad, we always come away with learning,’ he told Portuguese outlet A Bola.
‘In Manchester, I really liked the city and the way the fans experience football, more focused on the project than on the immediate result.
‘What I liked least was, without a doubt, feeling that our ideas weren’t fully implemented.’
Daily Mail Sport previously detailed how the dressing room and senior figures at the club had started to lose faith in Amorim’s ideas this season, not least when he abandoned a short experiment with a back four.
Amorim was wedded to a 3-4-2-1 system for the most part, which found no role for Kobbie Mainoo, while it also appeared to stifle Benjamin Sesko, who has since scored seven goals in his last eight games under new management.
Too often out on the pitch United’s players looked confused by the tactics and also devoid of ideas, not least when they went behind in matches such as at home to Everton, who won with just 10 men.
Amorim and his young coaching staff had arrived with a stellar reputation for building a title-winning squad at Sporting, but left Old Trafford jaded by the experience.
‘Only the future will tell if leaving was bad for our careers or not,’ Candido added.
‘Right now I’m enjoying my free time with my family without thinking too much about the future, but I know that when my phone rings, Ruben will talk to me.’
For the most part Amorim and his coaching staff have kept a low profile, not least armed with the knowledge that they could receive a staggering £15.9million in compensation from United after they were sacked last month.
Daily Mail Sport revealed that Amorim, after 14 months in charge, walked away with a £10m pay-off after he was dismissed by director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada.
But a filing to the New York Stock Exchange last Thursday revealed removing Amorim and his coaches could eventually cost up to £15.9m.
The figure stated in the submission is a maximum number, with the exact amount to be determined by factors including whether Amorim lands another job within a certain timeframe.
Amorim’s compensation package took the total cost of hiring and firing him to nearly £27m.
