All the same, he was pictured going to a birthday lunch at Cibo Restaurant in Wilmslow with his wife.
Cibo is a popular haunt for Red Devils stars and staff, with Sir Alex Ferguson and Erik ten Hag having met up at the Wilmslow branch in 2023, while Cristiano Ronaldo took team-mates to a bonding lunch at the plush Italian diner’s Hale location a few years back.
Indeed, Sir Alex has returned to the restaurant multiple times over the years, and Amorim will be hoping it can inspire him to similar successes.
On Monday, Ruben Amorim and his wife, Maria Joao Diogo, celebrated his birthday in Cheshire, where he experienced a rare moment of tranquility.
After his baptism of fire at Old Trafford, the Manchester United manager quipped to the media that he felt more like he was fifty years old, even as he celebrated his 40th birthday.
Amorim is dealing with the pressures of the last few days of the transfer window after having a wild start as the manager of one of the biggest football teams.
When BBC Sport wished Amorim a happy birthday, he joked, “It’s not 40, it’s 50.” It’s 50 after two months at Manchester United!
Spending my birthday here is a delight. Your nation is fantastic. With the victory tomorrow, I shall have more fun.
Given United’s poor performance, Amorim had good reason to make a frustrated statement.
The atmosphere has been significantly improved by their three victories in their last four games across all competitions, but their performances have barely been compelling.
In addition, he has lost seven of his first 17 games, and United is having their worst league home start in 131 years.
The team is not accustomed to Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, and the team has not added any first-team players this January.
However, he has a loyal wife by his side, and this is not the first time she has left her life to join him; she has already moved from Lisbon.
According to The Mirror, Amorim and Maria are believed to have first met while he was playing for Benfica. They were married in Coimbra in 2013 in front of about 160 family members and friends.
Several well-known football players, all of whom are linked to the bride, attended the special event.
Ines, Maria’s sister, is married to Luis Filipe, a Portuguese former professional football player who played for Benfica, Sporting, and Braga; Daniela Diogo, her sibling, is married to Antero Henrique, a former sporting director of PSG.
Maria’s football ties don’t end there, though, since her close friend and business partner Raquel Gomes is married to former player Hugo Viana, who will take over as director of football for Manchester City the next season.
Together, Maria and Raquel established the interior design company Dois Tons. ‘Create environments with a unique personality’ is the company’s stated aim, The Telegraph reports.
After Amorim signed the Qatari team Al-Wakrah in 2015, the couple moved to the Middle East.
Maria, who earned a degree in telecommunications engineering before starting her own interior design company, Dois Tons, had established a prosperous career for herself while Amorim was blazing his football trail.
In order to join Amorim in the Middle East, she made the decision to temporarily abandon her work.