Two decisions suggest Ruben Amorim might have made a mistake with Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United

An unbeaten Manchester United manager will be standing in the Old Trafford dugout on Friday night. That caretaker stint of Ruud van Nistelrooy's - two weeks, four games, three wins and one draw - seem like halcyon days sandwiched between months of crises.

Van Nistelrooy was personable, objective and provided a warmth that the players seldom encountered with Erik ten Hag. One senior United player described him as "excellent". Van Nistelrooy was destined to get an enviable job but jumped the gun in picking Leicester.

Tellingly, two of Van Nistelrooy's wins in his snug Paul Smith attire for United were against the team he now manages. Leicester owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha saw the harmony and results a manager bounce can elicit.

Only Leicester's squad is decidedly Championship standard and there were two frugal signings in the winter transfer window. Ruben Amorim promised to offer Van Nistelrooy a hug at the teams' FA Cup fourth round tie. For a while, it looked as though Van Nistelrooy would not return to Old Trafford.

Amorim was right to jettison Van Nistelrooy on his first day as United coach on November 11. No room for sentiment in football and all that. Van Nistelrooy is also a No.1. Ineos effectively undermined Ten Hag by foisting his compatriot onto him.

But Amorim has made decisions that suggest he needs a sounding board more immersed in United's culture. Amorim's coaching staff is almost entirely made up of those who were with him at Sporting. Only Darren Fletcher, Andreas Georgson and Craig Mawson have remained from Ten Hag's staff and both joined under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Jose Mourinho had Steve Clarke and Steve Holland in his separate two stints with Chelsea. Clarke spent 11 years with Chelsea and Holland