RUBY HURRY
Ruben Amorim to Man Utd all-but confirmed as Sporting say Red Devils WILL pay £8.3m release clause after Ten Hag sacking
Crucial statement made to Portuguese stock exchange
SPORTING all but confirmed Manchester United will poach Ruben Amorim after announcing the Red Devils will pay his £8.3million release clause.
And now it seems to be when, not if, United will replace Erik ten Hag with the Sporting boss.
6
6
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Old Trafford board sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday following the 2-1 defeat at West Ham.
And they are wasting no time in trying to find his permanent replacement.
Now Sporting said Manchester United chiefs are already in contact about taking Amorim to get the ship back on the right course again.
The Lisbon giants even confirmed the official approach with a letter to the Portuguese stock exchange.
READ MORE ON RUBEN AMORIM
But they did not confirm whether they have accepted United's advances.
As reported by , Sporting said: "Manchester United has expressed an interest in hiring coach Ruben Amorim, with the Board of Directors of Sporting SAD referring to the terms and conditions set out in the employment contract in force between the Company and the coach, specifically the respective termination clause and the amount of 10m Euros.
"Manchester United has expressed an interest in paying Sporting SAD the amount of the aforementioned clause."
Representatives are understood to be in Lisbon today to try and get a deal over the line for Amorim, whose Sporting deal lasts until 2026.
Most read in Football
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
But three different clauses in his contract means United can land him for £8.5m.
Other Portuguese clubs would need to pay £25m while the figure drops to £17m outside of the country.
'Something seriously wrong!' Ex-Prem ref reacts to huge Man Utd call which saw Erik Ten Hag sacked
Ruben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man Utd
WHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.
Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.
But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.
Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.
He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers.
The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.
And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.
Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.
Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.
United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won't be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.
For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for.
But a clause for Europe's elite means Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City and United could activate his release clause for £8.5m.
The former midfielder, 39, will take charge of his side for the 228th time when Sporting host Nacional in the Taca de Liga tonight.
And that is expected to be his final match as Sporting boss before he is officially unveiled as the new United gaffer.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has been put in charge as interim United boss ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie with Leicester.
However, if things go to plan, he may well step aside in time for Chelsea's visit to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
6
Amorim was on Liverpool's shortlist in the summer and a potential candidate to replace Pep Guardiola if he leaves Manchester City at the end of the season.
But he broke his silence on the likelihood of taking over at Old Trafford during a press conference on Monday.
Amorim said: "I was already expecting this question [about Man Utd] and obviously I'm not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I'll always have to comment.
"I’m very proud to be Sporting coach, that’s all."
Ironically, Amorim was once a team-mate of Victor Lindelof and scored against Christian Eriksen during his playing days - before hanging up his boots aged 32 due to a knee injury.
Read More on The Sun
He attended university lectures led by Jose Mourinho as he took his steps into coaching - and even did an internship with the Special One at United in 2018.
And should he sign on the dotted line, he would become the Premier League's fourth-youngest manager - behind Fabian Hurzeler, Russell Martin and Kieran McKenna.
6
6
6
'I was expecting this' - What Ruben Amorim said about Man Utd job links
RUBEN AMORIM has responded to being linked with a move to Manchester United.
The Sporting Lisbon coach, 39, is reportedly closing in on a deal worth £8million to become Erik ten Hag's successor.
Just hours after Ten Hag’s dismissed on Monday morning, it emerged Man Utd chiefs were in talks with Amorim as they zero in on the Sporting boss.
But the ex-Braga coach remained tight-lipped on negotiations when quizzed by the media.
He said: "I was already expecting this question [about Man Utd].
“Obviously I'm not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I'll always have to comment.
"I’m very proud to be Sporting coach, that’s all."
Topics