Manuel Ugarte reveals what 'surprised' Manchester United dressing room about Ruben Amorim

Manuel Ugarte has revealed Manchester United's players were surprised by Ruben Amorim's age following his appointment as head coach.

Amorim is regarded as one of Europe's brightest coaching prospects and the 39-year-old has joined from Sporting Lisbon, where he masterminded their first league title for 19 years.

United believe they have appointed a coach who has the style of play, personality and winning mentality needed for the role, along with a reputation for developing young players. His first game in charge of United will come against Ipswich Town in the league on November 24.

There is excitement building ahead of Amorim's arrival and Ugarte, who played at Sporting for two years, has been asked questions from his United teammates about him.

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During Amorim's career as a player, he shared a dressing room with Victor Lindelof at Benfica and played against Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans. He is also just nine months older than the oldest player in the squad, goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who is 38.

After the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday, Ugarte spoke to DAZN Portugal about Amorim and he revealed the new United boss' age had been a topic of discussion in the dressing room.

"There are many questions about him from my colleagues," he said. "What surprised them was his age. He also has a strong desire to win, which is very important. I can tell you that they'll like him.

"I saw that Sporting fans were upset and it's understandable because he is a great coach. It’s good for United and we need to make the most of it and for him to convey his ideas as quickly as possible.

"I believe it will be a different dynamic, and the day-to-day will be somewhat similar to that we had at Sporting. The league changes, the country changes, and the football changes.

"It’s a significant challenge for him, but we all know he possesses the capability. It’s positive, especially since the club needs to start building a path, which is essential, and the manager will be key."

Amorim will officially begin work in Manchester on November 11, which is the first day of the upcoming international break, and Ruud van Nistelrooy's future remains uncertain.

Van Nistelrooy is managing United on an interim basis until Amorim arrives at Carrington and has confirmed he would like to stay in his first-team coach role.