Ruben Amorim was quick to temper expectations of his impending Manchester United reign after leading Sporting CP to a 4-1 victory over Manchester City on Tuesday night.
The highly rated Portuguese coach will join United after November's international break after agreeing to oversee three more Sporting fixtures. In his final match at the Jose Alvalade, Amorim emphatically got the better of Pep Guardiola's visitors.
United's future boss had warned pre-game a victory would earn him the unwanted tag of the "new Alex Ferguson" and tried to downplay the impact of Tuesday's triumph on his tenure at Old Trafford.
"What I can tell you is that this doesn't mean anything in particular," Amorim told the assembled media after the 4-1 win. "Don't take anything from this. We cannot transport one reality to another. Manchester United cannot play the way we play and we will have to adapt."
Amorim's Sporting lined up in a 3-4-3, a system which he has dogmatically stuck to since the third game of his first senior managerial role at third-tier Casa Pia. The departed Erik ten Hag most commonly set United up in a 4-2-3-1 and the club have not consistently played with a back three since the early days of Louis van Gaal's reign in 2014.
The midweek triumph over City was Amorim's 230th game in charge of Sporting after more than four years spent shaping the squad and club to his playing philosophy.
Despite the difficulties Amorim could face in adapting to United, he was excited at the prospect: "It will be fun, very fun, and I'm ready for the challenge."
The first Manchester derby of the season is scheduled for 15 December at City's Etihad Stadium, less than a month after Amorim officially takes charge. The rivals reconvene at Old Trafford in April 2025.
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