The new Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim has come in and laid down a marker that things at the club won't be all sunshine and rainbows despite his ebullient exterior.
The Daily Mail reports that "Ruben Amorim will be just as tough with the players as Erik ten Hag, albeit with a more charming approach."
"In meetings this week, #mufc players were warned about their lifestyles away from the pitch, and what's expected of them as professionals."
This talk about expecting them to be professionals comes at the right time as yesterday, ex-captain Gary Neville questioned the professionalism of Marcus Rashford and Casemiro after the pair traveled to the US to watch a basketball game during the international break.
I personally don't have a problem with them going to America as long as they come back fresh and ready to go and are professional in training and during games.
I do like that this article says that he is going to be tough, just like Erik ten Hag was. The fact that it says he will be tough with a 'more charming approach' says to me that it's not what he will say but rather, how he will say it.
This is why understanding of the people around you is important as well as how well you communicate with them. ten Hag came across as someone who was just really tough all the time wothout that understanding. This could've been a reason as to why there was a breakdown between him and some of the players.
People will say that these players do need that disciplinarian, which is true, but I think it's better to have one who also has that understanding of the people he's working with allowing him to better handle the situation.
I think Amorim has this ability.
In terms of that professionalism and lifestyle, I don't think we've had enough players who are professional enough resulting in poor performances on the field.
I don't think our players are disciplined enough and do things that they shouldn't be doing. The club should be getting a handle on these things.
I don't think we as a club are harsh enough on the players whenever they do do things that are unprofessional. We just let them be.
I liked when ten Hag dropped Rashford for being a little late for a team meeting. That is the type of thing we need to see more of regardless of who the player is, which is something else that Amorim does.
It doesn't matter who you are, he will not let things slide if they happen to do something wrong. That is correct. Remove that favoritism.
As we are also pretty shite as a team, I feel that the club and players should probably dial down on things that could cause them trouble and result in what is unprofessional.
You're not going to be an athlete at the top level all your life so you might as well just do what needs to be done for the time being. And if they cannot, then we should look to move them on.
Attitude is everything.
Background Image: Ruben Amorim takes charge of his first Man Utd training session | Image via Manchester United