Manchester United are working on a deal to appoint Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim as their new head coach.
Sources in Portugal, speaking anonymously as they’re not authorised to discuss the matter, have told The Athletic the 39-year-old is open to taking up the opportunity after Erik ten Hag was sacked earlier on Monday.
United are ready to pay the €10million (£8.3m) release clause in his contract with the two clubs in talks to finalise a deal that could see Ruud van Nistelrooy take interim charge before Amorim’s arrival.
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Amorim has emerged as one of Europe’s most sought-after young managers after a run of success with the Portuguese club with United moving quickly after making him their No 1 target to be Ten Hag’s replacement.
He was in contention to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before Arne Slot ultimately got the job and also held talks over replacing David Moyes at West Ham, before later apologising and calling the meeting “a mistake”.
He won the Primeira Liga title in 2021 and again last season while also winning the Taca da Liga — the Portuguese League Cup — on two occasions with Sporting and a third time with his previous club, Braga.
He has also built a reputation as a coach known for fielding young players and improving individual player performance.
A midfielder in his playing career, Amorim was a three-time league champion with Benfica and won 14 caps for the Portugal national team.
Ten Hag was appointed in April 2022 and went on to lead the club to the League Cup title in his first season in charge as well as the FA Cup in May.
The former Ajax head coach was retained as United manager in the summer following an end-of-season review by the club’s hierarchy but only after they had sounded out potential replacements including now England head coach Thomas Tuchel, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank and Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.
United return to Premier League action with a home game with Chelsea on Sunday, before meetings with three of the current bottom five in Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Everton over the next month.
They also have two Europa League games, against PAOK and Bodo/Glimt. They currently sit 21st in the new-look European competition’s league phase after failing to win any of their opening three matches.
Additional reporting: Laurie Whitwell
Why Amorim?
Analysis by senior data analyst Mark Carey
Ruben Amorim is a manager that has been linked with his fair share of jobs in recent months, and you can understand why the 39-year-old is in demand.
Amorim guided Sporting to a first league title for 19 years in 2021-22, followed it up with another victory last season, and has nine wins from nine with Sporting sitting pretty at the top of the Primeira Liga this season.
Even accounting for the quality imbalance of the Primeira Liga, a side who boasted, statistically, one of the best attacks (Chance creation, 95 out 99) and the best defences (Chance prevention, 97 out of 99) shows that their manager must be having a positive effect.
Stylistically, Amorim’s 3-4-3 — or more specifically, a 3-4-2-1 — is built on high possession, flexible attacking approaches and a strong defensive foundation.
Last season’s arrival of striker Viktor Gyokeres led to a more transitional, direct style of attack (Patient attack, 49 out of 99). It also highlights Amorim’s ability to maximise his style by adapting to the skill sets of his players.
Amorim has shown his desire to bring young talent into the first team — including Goncalo Inacio, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes and Ousmane Diomande — and has improved the team’s quality with the resources at his disposal.
Bruno Fernandes moved to Manchester United a little over a month before Amorim’s appointment, but Mendes (to Paris Saint-Germain), Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur), Manuel Ugarte (also to PSG) and Joao Palhinha (Fulham) are among the talented players whom Amorim has improved before being sold for high fees.
Title-winning credentials? Tick. Fielding young players? Tick. Improving individual player performance? Tick. There are reasons why Amorim has been so highly sought-after among Europe’s elite.
(Top photo: Erwin Sscheriau/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
