Ruben Amorim hires 78-year-old athletics coach to whip Man Utd players into shape | OneFootball

Manchester United have hired renowned athletics coach Harry Marra to help improve the players’ fitness and running technique.

The 78-year-old American is considered one of the outstanding coaches in the history of track and field, and is best known for helping decathlete Ashton Eaton to two Olympic gold medals. He also coached Brianne Theisen, Eaton’s wife, who is a world and Olympic medalist in heptathlon.

United have brought in Marra on a short-term basis, according to The Times, thought to be only a matter of weeks, as manager Ruben Amorim looks to turn around the team’s fortunes with his side sitting 12th in the Premier League table.

Amorim has been clear on the physical demands he places on his players, saying in December: “Even with the best starting XI on the planet, without running, they will not win anything. It’s very clear. If you want to win the Premier League, you have to run like mad dogs. If not, we are not going to do it, that is clear.”

It is an issue at the heart of Amorim’s rift with Marcus Rashford, who has been accused of lacking application in training.

Marra will work closely with Sam Erith, United’s interim performance director, reported by The Athletic, and part of his remit will be to hone the players’ running mechanics as they try to keep up with Amorim’s high demands.