Ruben Amorim orders Man United squad to follow new rules as he names six players in leadership group

Ruben Amorim is continuing to crack the whip at Manchester United, and is relying on six key players to help him do it.

The Portuguese continues to put his foot down after a disastrous first half season at Old Trafford, removing players he considered ill disciplined – such as Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho – from the squad.

With his playing staff now refined and a few new additions, it’s time to step things up in the discipline department, and that includes calling out those who don’t train properly.

“We have rules, and the rules are not to treat the players as babies,” he said at a press conference during the team’s pre-season tour.

“They have sons, so I treat each of them as a man, but they have rules now. 

“That can change the way you train. If you don’t train in the right way, I have footage to show you. 

“And I will show you in front of everybody, not just speak, but show you as well. 

“So I’m always on top but I will expect it will be just one phase and that I won’t need to do anything because they will push each other. 

“I will show everything. So that really requires a lot of energy.”

Amorim names new leadership group

Helping Amorim lay down the law at Carrington won’t just be captain Bruno Fernandes and vice captain Harry Maguire.

He went on to explain: “But this year I have more people to do that. We have a leadership group now. 

“It’s not just Bruno. It’s not just Harry. It’s six guys now. They are responsible for the group. 

“There are some things that in the last year I had to deal with that. I said to them, ‘this year, you deal with that; the small issues are with you guys. You are responsible.’”

Amorim went on to name the other four, and they are fan favourite Diogo Dalot, Argentine multi-lingual centre back Lisandro Martinez, vastly experienced third choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton and versatile key defender Noussair Mazraoui.

The two time Primeira Liga winner explained: “It’s not just the oldest ones. Nous (Mazraoui) is in the group because he’s a character that I like. 

“I try to understand the dynamic of the group. Try to reach every space. They are the guys that are responsible to keep everyone in line.”

Poor discipline no longer accepted

Amorim began laying down the law as soon as their worst-ever Premier League campaign finished, cutting five players from a post-season tour.

They were the aforementioned Garnacho and Rashford, plus Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho.

There have since been two key additions in the shape of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and Amorim has no concerns at all about the former Wolves forward.

“I can’t use those words in public…” he said when asked about the praise he’s given to Cunha behind the scenes.

“He’s a guy who talks a lot, and that’s important right now. When he’s upset, it shows in the atmosphere, and that’s good for us. 

“When he loses, he becomes a different person. And those were characteristics we lacked last season.”

He added: “Sometimes we have to look back and understand the reason for the club’s past success. 

“Football has changed, the world has changed, but there are things we can replicate, like the spirit of the players. I think the fans deserve to have players like Matheus or Bruno.”