‘I’m a former Man Utd coach – some players didn’t want to change their playing style’

Former Manchester United coach Rene Hake has given a worrying insightinto the mentality of the players inherited by Ruben Amorim.

The Dutchman served as an assistant to his compatriot who was sacked in October after overseeing a disastrous start to the new season.

Amorim has already suffered several setbacks during the opening weeks of his tenure as he tries to implement the 3-4-3 system that worked so spectacularly for him at Sporting Lisbon.

During is time at Old Trafford, Hake revealed that although some players were willing to experiment and take on board new ideas, others were far less receptive.

‘Rashford and Garnacho were quickly open to working on their timing with deep runs,’ he told Voetbal International.

‘With Bruno Fernandes, it was often about positioning during our build-up play.

‘Sometimes a player will say: ‘At this moment, I’d rather not change anything about my game. That’s okay—you accept that too.’

If Amorim is to turn the United ship around, he may have to rely on the experience of players like Casemiro who impressed Hake during time with the Premier League giants.

The Brazil international has been written off by some pundits after his difficult second season, but Hake praised the former Real Madrid star for his football intelligence and ability to read the game.

He said: ‘It comes down to football intelligence. Seeing solutions. The ability to learn. But it’s also in the mental aspect—wanting to execute something well and continuing to execute it well, even on the 36th attempt.

‘With Casemiro, I sometimes thought: he senses things. When it really matters, he has an antenna—he already feels what’s going to happen on the field.’