Manchester United goalkeeper Tom Heaton has revealed Ruben Amorim’s six-man leadership group has already administered a ‘b****cking’ to a member of the squad as they aim to drive up standards.
Amorim revealed earlier this month that a leadership group of six players has been created to police the rest of the squad at Old Trafford.
The group is tasked with keeping their team-mates in line and maintain standards among the squad in terms of training and discipline.
The six-player committee – similar to the system Pep Guardiola implemented at Manchester City – will be responsible for creating a positive culture at Old Trafford and penalising any players who break the code of conduct.
The group includes captain Bruno Fernandes and former skipper Harry Maguire, as well Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui and Tom Heaton.
Veteran goalkeeper Heaton, 39, who had been part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-team squad early in his career, has revealed the group has already admonished one member of the squad.
A member of Man United’s squad has reportedly been admonished by the leadership group
Veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton, a member of the group, insisted its aim was to support players and guide the squad in the right way
‘Yes, but only naturally’, Heaton told the Manchester Evening News. ‘It’s not just about delivering sort of ‘b****cking’.
‘I think it’s also about supporting people who need it, trying to make sure we’re guiding it and channelling it in the right way.
‘I think he (Amorim) feels quite strongly about having a group of players that have a strong influence on the dressing room.
‘It provides a little bit of support to Bruno in that respect. That’s how it came about and obviously honoured as ever to be part of that and try and have as much influence on it as I possibly can.’
Speaking earlier this month, Amorim revealed that the group would be responsible for the group and were tasked with dealing with small issues within the squad.
Explaining his reasoning for the leadership group, Amorim said ‘It’s not just Bruno, it’s not just Harry, it’s six guys now. They are responsible for the group. There are some things that in the last year I had to deal with that.
‘I said to them in this year, you deal with that. Small issues are with you guys. You are responsible. All these small changes, I think it’s helping the group.
‘We have Bruno, we have Licha, we have Harry, we have Diogo, we have Tom and we have Nous. So it’s not just the oldest ones. Nous is in the group because he’s a character that I like. And I try to understand the dynamic of the group and try to reach every space. They are the guys that are responsible to keep everyone in line.’
Man United boss Ruben Amorim tasked the group with dealing with small issues in the squad
Amorim had also warned that the club would use data at his disposal to enforce high standards in training – even if that means showing them up in front of the rest of the squad
‘We have new rules and the rules are not to treat the players as babies. I know that they are not kids, and I don’t treat the players like kids. They have sons. I treat them as men, but they have rules now. I think these small rules can help a group to be strong,’ Amorim said.
‘That can change the way you train. If you don’t train in the right way, I have footage to show you. And I show you in front of everybody. So I’m always on top. If you train badly one time, I will show you the image.
‘I will not just speak with you, I will show everything. So that really requires a lot of energy. But what I feel in this year is that I have more people to do that.’
