Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed a conversation he had with Ruben Amorim before he was sacked at Manchester United.
Manchester United secured a victory over Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, with goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes earning all three points.
The result piled further pressure on Spurs manager Thomas Frank, who has since been dismissed following a string of disappointing performances.
Frank had taken charge last summer, replacing Ange Postecoglou; a decision that raised eyebrows given that the Australian had guided Tottenham to Europa League glory against United, securing the club’s first trophy since 2008.
Postecoglou has been reflecting on his time in north London this week and revealed that he also held discussions with former United manager Ruben Amorim during that period.
Postecoglou reveals conversation with Amorim before sack
Postecoglou and Amorim experienced similar struggles during their time at Spurs and United, respectively, with both managers suffering issues with injuries while also being set on their specific way of playing.
But at Old Trafford the scrutiny is higher and that is something that Postecoglou understands. During an interview with The Overlap, he labelled the United job as the ‘hardest in world football’.
He also detailed a conversation he had with Amorim before a game, where he admitted that it was tougher at United for the Portuguese head coach.
“It’s not easy mate,” the Australian manager began. “I said that to Ruben early on, we played him and I whispered to him, because we were both going through an injury crisis, and I said to him, ‘Mate, I got it tough, but not as tough as you’.
“All of the other managers with whatever scrutiny they’re under, it’s amplified 10 times when you’re the Man United [manager] because of the history as well.”
Postecoglou speaks further on United job
Postecoglou spoke further about the issues at United and how they should act to ensure that success comes back to the club.
Michael Carrick has started well as the interim boss but the ex-Spurs manager believes United need a ‘unique individual’ who can deal with the pressures that come with the job.
“That is the hardest job in world football as far as I’m concerned, because the scrutiny that the club has and the spotlight it’s under consistently,” Postecoglou added.
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“It’s going to take a unique individual to be able to overcome all those things or a real discipline to say that we’re going to say we are going to go down this path for a certain number of years.
“It is unlikely there is going to be a quick fix. It is going to take a person as much a manager who can handle the 100 press conferences every year and winning 10 games and losing one and being torn apart for losing that one.”
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