Ruben Amorim wants Man Utd players to maintain a low body-fat percentage
players were run hard by their old manager , and they are unlikely to get any respite off the back of ‘s appointment.
The Portuguese upheld high standards of fitness at Sporting, which helped him weed out the bad apples and create a team of hard workers. And it was one fairly simplistic test which he and his coaches used to determine who deserved a place in the team and which players were sent back to the gym.
According to a former member of Amorim’s Sporting backroom staff, players with too many skin folds would be banished to the sidelines for two weeks. Given that philosophy served him so well in Portugal, United stars are set to be in for the same treatment.
“When we were together at Sporting, I would tell Ruben that a certain player had too many skin folds,” the unnamed coach told . “If he had what we agreed were too many, that player would not play for two weeks, until they got their fitness back up.”
A skin fold test, which is used to estimate body-fat percentage, can be administered simply by pinching a player’s skin between two fingers. Players will therefore need to be on their guard when it comes to eating well and putting in the work if they want a spot in Amorim’s starting XI.
The coach insists that Amorim employed the test not only to make sure his stars were in top physical shape, but also to uncover which players were truly dedicated.
Erik ten Hag used to run his Man Utd players hard in training
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“It is not punishment, banning players with too many skin folds,” he explained. “It is about getting standards across, to young players learning what it takes, and older ones who may have forgotten.
“It is one of many ways we found that extra level. It’s not technical or tactical. But being so obsessed with players being at their optimal fitness levels is something that helps you discover who has the desire and character to succeed.
“You have to want it to get there [the top]. It is not something people see, but that does not make it less important.”
United players have had just over two weeks to familiarise themselves with Amorim and his methods. The new manager wheeled out his favoured 3-4-3 formation in his first game against Ipswich Town on Sunday, but the team evidently have some way to go before it is mastered, as they limped to a 1-1 draw at Portman Road.