by Manchester United are working on a deal to appoint Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim as their new head coach.
Sources in Portugal, speaking anonymously because they are not authorized to discuss the matter, said Athletics the 39-year-old is ready to seize the opportunity following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal earlier on Monday.
United are prepared to pay the €10m (£8.3m) release clause in their contract with the two clubs in talks to finalize a deal which could see Ruud van Nistelrooy take caretaker charge before the arrival of Amorim.
Amorim has become one of Europe’s most sought-after young managers after a run of success with the Portuguese club, with United moving on quickly after making him their No.1 target to replace Ten Hag.
He was in contention to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before Arne Slot eventually got the job and also discussed replacing David Moyes at West Ham, before later apologizing 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 – twice with Sporting and a third time with his former club, Braga.
He also built a reputation as a coach known for fielding young players and improving individual player performances.
A midfielder during his playing career, Amorim was a three-time league champion with Benfica and won 14 caps for the Portugal national team.
Amorim has built a strong reputation through its work in Portugal (Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
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 coach this summer following an end-of-season review by the club’s hierarchy, but only after sounding out potential replacements, including manager- England chief Thomas Tuchel, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank and Ipswich Town. director Kieran McKenna.
United return to Premier League action with a home game against Chelsea on Sunday, before meeting three of the current bottom five at Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Everton over the next month.
They also play two Europa League matches, against PAOK and Bodo/Glimt. They currently sit 21st in the new league stage of the European competition after failing to win any of their opening three matches.
Additional reporting: Laurie Whitwell
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Why Amorim?
Analysis by Mark Carey, Senior Data Analyst
Ruben Amorim is a manager who has been linked to numerous jobs in recent months, and you can see why the 39-year-old is in demand.
Amorim guided Sporting to a first league title for 19 years in 2021-22, followed it with another victory last season and made it nine wins from nine, with Sporting instead leading the Primeira Liga this season .
Even taking into account the qualitative imbalance of the Primeira Liga, a team that has, statistically, one of the best attacks (Creation Chance, 95 out of 99) and the best defenses (Prevention Chance, 97 out of 99) shows that its coach must be having a positive effect.
Stylistically, Amorim’s 3-4-3 – or more precisely a 3-4-2-1 – relies on high possession, flexible attacking approaches and a solid defensive foundation.
The arrival of striker Viktor Gyokeres last season led to a more transitional and direct attacking style (Patient attack, 49 of 99). This also highlights Amorim’s ability to maximize his style by adapting to his players’ skills.
Amorim has shown his willingness to integrate young talents into the first team, including Goncalo Inacio, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes and Ousmane Diomande, and has improved the quality of the squad with the resources he has at his disposal.
Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United just over a month before Amorim’s appointment, but Mendes (at Paris Saint-Germain), Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur), Manuel Ugarte (also at PSG) and Joao Palhinha (Fulham) are among the talented players that Amorim improved before being sold for high prices.
Winning references for the title? Tick. Line up young players? Tick. Improve the individual performance of players? Tick. There are reasons why Amorim is so sought after among Europe’s elite.
(Erwin Sscheriau/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
