Manchester United have brought in the world-leading athletics coach, 78-year-old Harry Marra, who had last worked with Olympic champion decathlete Ashton Eaton.
The Times wrote about new manager Ruben Amorim expressing concerns over body-fat and conditioning levels of the struggling squad, after replacing Erik ten Hag as manager back in November. “As a result, United are now working with renowned athletics coach Harry Marra for several weeks in a bid to address these issues,” according to The Times.
Marra will work closely with United’s interim performance director Sam Erith, according to The Athletic, and his focus will be on honing the players’ sprint mechanics as they try to match Amorim’s high demands, of a pressing game.
In December, Amorim had stated, “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.”
Marra is of course best known for his work with Olympic gold medallist Ashton Eaton, the decathlete champion from 2012 and 2016 Games. According to the Independent, Marra also worked with Major League Baseball team the San Francisco Giants as a speed and fitness consultant and his arrival was said to have “been a cause of some excitement” at United due to his “almost guru-like status”, as per Goal.com.
The veteran was named the World Athletics Coach of the Year after the 2016 Rio Olympics and also ranked in the top ten track and field coaches of all time in 2024.
Manchester United sit down in 12th place in the Premier League table and are back in Europa League action next, seeking to secure direct qualification to the last 16 with a win over Romanian side FCSB.
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Marra speaking on his expertise on YouTube channel Coaching The Standard had said, “The most important thing a coach should focus on … are the fundamentals. Those are the things I try to stress. It all starts on the initial movement on the part of the skill. If it’s incorrect, then there’s a problem.”
Man Utd have been in a churn, with no continuity of plan, which unlike Liverpool, keeps changing with every new manager.
The Independent wrote, “Erith’s performance director role is still only interim. Meanwhile Amorim is completely different from any manager that came before, and probably anyone they will go to next, such was the desperate need for a new direction. So perhaps Marra’s arrival is another clutch in the dark. But it does show the club’s backing for Amorim fitness demands, and that perhaps a more thoughtful approach is coming.”
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