“I think he’s worth taking a shot on" - Glen Johnson on Manchester United's decision to hire Ruben Amorim

Former England international Glen Johnson has backed head coach Ruben Amorim to turn things around at Manchester United. He believes the Portuguese tactician is a good appointment, but time will tell if he is the right man for the job.

Speaking to BetFred, Johnson pointed out that the Manchester United job was too big and even experienced managers found it hard. However, he believes the young manager will help the club turn things around, saying:

"Time will tell if he's the right man or not, but I certainly believe he has good pedigree in terms of his age and what he's done. If he's the right man, then their rivals will have a problem because Manchester United will be back, but time will tell. It's not an easy job and there's been a lot of experienced managers that have gone to Manchester United and not been able to turn it around.

"It's going to be tough and I have no idea how it's going to go, but I guess he can't do any worse from Manchester United's point of view. I think he's worth taking a shot on. Young mind, young brain, new ideas and if the players are excited, enjoying training and working hard, then that's when you see teams bounce back. I think they can only go upwards really, so I think it was a shot worth taking."

Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag in October and appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy as the interim head coach. He oversaw four matches and stayed unbeaten.

Ruben Amorim ready for challenge at Manchester United

Ruben Amorim admitted that he was aware the Manchester United job would be a challenging one. The Portuguese manager added that he was looking forward to it.

He told the media in Portugal earlier this month (via Reuters):

"I feel ready for the new challenge. 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. I know it will be difficult to reproduce what I have here elsewhere, but there are other places with different exposure and pressure ... It's been a fantastic adventure."

Manchester United have parted ways with Ruud van Nistelrooy. He joined as the assistant coach in the summer, and has now left with Amorim bringing in his backroom staff.