Ruben Amorim's five-word instruction to Manchester United squad will be put to the test

"Guys, we have to have fun." Ruben Amorim wore a big smile across his face and a casual black jacket and jumper as he addressed some of his Manchester United players for the first time on Tuesday.

He looked energetic and fresh-faced, like the rising star of the managerial scene he is. The problem is that when his predecessors depart Old Trafford, they always look to have aged dramatically. It never looks like it has been much fun when the end comes.

Certainly, nobody seemed to be overly enjoying themselves towards the end of Erik ten Hag's reign at the club, least of all Ten Hag at times. It's easy to come in and try and spread good vibes. It's harder to maintain that when - or if - things begin to go wrong.

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The reality is that this shirt weighs heavily. Representing United has never been easy, but it's particularly difficult in the modern era when expectations remain high but reality only rarely brings success.

Most of this squad suffered United's lowest-ever Premier League finishing position last season, and that was never going to be fun. It's not a lot of fun representing a club that can compare itself to Real Madrid at times but sits 13th in the Premier League table and 15th in the Europa League standings.

But Amorim is right. They really do need to have some fun. The teams that enjoy themselves, enjoy the company of their teammates, enjoy the sessions the coaches put on, and enjoy the cut and thrust of competitive games are the teams that end up successful.

Just look at Sporting. It looked an awful lot of fun as they tore Manchester City apart just