In just two weeks and two games, Ruben Amorim has turned Manchester United from a laughing stock into a force to be reckoned with. The year 2024 ended with the Red Devils losing four games in a row for the first time since 1961, but the New Year has seen them head to the two best teams in the country and hold their own, taking a 2-2 draw from Liverpool – almost snatching victory but for Harry Maguire’s inability to score from close range – before knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup despite playing with 10 men for an hour.
The fragility on display in their previous defeats by Newcastle, Bournemouth, Tottenham and Wolves was replaced by steely determination. While Amorim was calling his team “anxious” a fortnight ago, on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium he praised them for “suffering together”. Micah Richards said United showed “passion and courage”, words that no one was using to describe the team at the end of last year.
United’s next challenge, though, is very different from going to Anfield or the Emirates and playing with their backs against the wall to get a result. After two of the toughest games on the fixture list, they face an ostensibly kind run of games against Southampton, Brighton and Rangers, all of them at home. Having done the difficult part, they must now navigate less choppy waters and show they are capable of winning the games they are expected to win.