Ruben Amorim has laid down his first rule at Manchester United after taking over from Erik ten Hag.

The Portuguese coach gathered together members of the Red Devils squad who are training at Carrington during the international break, having not been called up for their countries. The 39-year-old former midfielder touched down in Manchester with his coaching crew on Monday and began working to address matters at Old Trafford.

Having succeeded Dutch boss Ten Hag on November 1, he spent a brief tenure finishing up commitments with Sporting Lisbon that included thrashing his new club’s rivals Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League, but takes over a side slumped 13th in the Premier League table. Tuesday was marked by first-time introductions as Amorim met with five players including Luke Shaw and Mason Mount, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Lenny Yoro, and Toby Collyer.

Addressing a select few of United’s players, Amorim proclaimed: “We have to have fun.” Rising talents from the academy like Daniel Armer, Amir Ibragimov, and Ruben Curley, who’ve been training with the senior team, also got a nod.

While waiting for his work visa, Amorim hasn’t kicked off training sessions but has been busy with a series of crucial meetings instead. He’s greeted by Uniteds top brass, with Omar Berrada at the helm of welcoming committee alongside Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox, reports the Mirror.

Tuesday also saw him convening with coaching staff Andreas Georgson and Darren Fletcher, who stayed on post the departures of Ten Hag and Ruud van Nistelrooy while Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar, and Pieter Morel are set to bid farewell to the club.

The incoming Red Devils manager has reportedly made swift assessments of his team. Mount, despite a challenging period marred by injuries post-Chelsea transfer, is tipped for a pivotal role in Amorim’s squad.

The new boss from Portugal holds Mount in high regard for his adaptability, which could be key as Amorim is anticipated to implement a 3-4-3 formation. However, not all players seem to have impressed equally.

Joshua Zirkzee, it seems, hasn’t met the mark and is considered ‘not adequate’, casting doubt on whether Amorim can turn around United’s goal-scoring woes. Speculation suggests that Amorim might look towards Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres as a potential recruit.

Amorim appears eager to embrace his new responsibilities after his last game at the helm of Sporting. He expressed his readiness for the challenge ahead, saying over the weekend: “I feel ready for the new challenge,” and acknowledging the difficulties he anticipates with, “I’m not naive, I know it’s going to be very different, very difficult. I’m at peace now. I can focus on my new job and I’m looking forward to starting tomorrow.”

He also reflected on the unique aspects of his new position, stating: “I know it will be difficult to reproduce what I have here anywhere else but there are other places with different exposure and pressure.”

Former AS Monaco, Sevilla and France forward Wissam Ben Yedder has been convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault in Nice, following a lengthy legal process.

The 34-year-old, who was a free agent this summer after leaving the principality, has been declared guilty of all charges in court, and on top of the two years in prison he will face, Ben Yedder will see his driving licence suspended for six months. He will pay a €6.5k fine in damages to the victim, and his name will be placed on the sex offender register.

Ben Yedder apologised to the 23-year-old victim during the court proceedings, blaming his actions on alcohol. Diario AS explain that the prosecution were seeking a year in prison and 2.5 years more in a suspended sentence, conscious of the fact that he has a separate ongoing rape investigation into him. Ben Yedder paid a €900k bail to avoid custody in 2023.

Manchester City’s number of international dropouts increased to five on Monday following the news that Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have pulled out of the England squad, along with Jeremy Doku’s withdrawal from Belgium duty.

It follows Manuel Akanji’s departure from the Switzerland squad, while Matheus Nunes was a surprise dropout from the Portugal team.

It’s a sign of just how widespread City’s injury issues are, with Ruben Dias and John Stones missing Saturday’s loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, along with Grealish and Doku, while Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees.

Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne have not been included in their respective international squads. The latter has only recently returned from a seven-week absence, while Ake was deemed not fit enough to come off the bench at the Amex.

In addition, Kyle Walker is yet to regain full fitness after sustaining an injury during the last international break. It means City squad really is threadbare on the back of a four-game losing streak, the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s time at the club.

However, the Catalan will be pleased to hear of Grealish’s withdrawal from the England squad. The former Aston Villa star has missed the last six City games due to injury and Guardiola was furious that he was called up by Lee Carsley.

“Seventeen days, didn’t train once. Today the first training and trained 20 minutes,” Guardiola said on Friday following the news of Grealish’s selection. “This is the reality. He was in the gym for a few minutes yes, the last two days. It’s a question for the [England] manager – I’m not involved. They can select who they want.”

Guardiola said after the Brighton game that he is hopeful several of the absentees will be back after the international break. City face Tottenham Hotspur on 23 November in their first match following the pause in club football, before games against Feyenoord and Liverpool.

Manchesterworld