Manchester United Target Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim to Replace Erik ten Hag

The writing was on the wall when Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat against West Ham this weekend. That loss to West Ham at the Olympic Stadium was the last straw for Erik ten Hag’s floundering stint at Old Trafford. United’s hierarchy moved swiftly to sack the Dutch head coach after the West Ham debacle. Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has been named their new coach, but on an interim basis.

The Red Devils are looking to bring in an established coach, who can bring back the glory days to Old Trafford. And their primary target is Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim. The 39-year-old manager has done a stellar job at Sporting, leading the Portuguese giants to two Primera Liga titles, and two Taca da Liga titles during his super-successful four-year stint. But now, it looks like Amorim might be on his way to Manchester, as the two clubs engage in face-to-face talks.  

Ruben Amorin has emerged as one of the most sought-after young coaches in Europe because of the incredible job he has done at Sporting CP. In fact, he was in contention to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, before the Reds decided to go with Arne Slot. Amorim even held talks with West Ham this summer to replace David Moyes. However, the meeting was termed as “a mistake” by the Portuguese. Despite failing to move to the Premier League in the summer, it looks like Amorim might finally get Old Trafford’s hot seat. According to Fabrizio Romano, “Ruben Amorim has given initial green light to Man United. He's keen on joining the club, accepting the project and the terms discussed. Amorim respects Sporting... and so it depends on club-to-club negotiation now. Exit clause for top clubs is around €10m.” 

When looking at Ruben Amorim’s track record, it doesn’t come as a surprise that United desperately want him to be their next manager. Stylistically, Amorim is very different from Ten Hag. While the Dutchman preferred a 4-2-3-1 formation, Amorim has stuck with a 3-4-2-1 formation during most of his Sporting CP games. And so far, this formation has delivered results and trophies. Furthermore, the Portuguese head coach has a track record of giving young players ample amounts of opportunities. Players like Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Matheus Nunes (Man City) all blossomed into exciting prospects under his tutelage.  

As if that wasn’t enticing enough, Ruben Amorim also has a habit of extracting the most out of a player’s potential. Brighton reject Viktor Gyokeres has transformed into one of the most sought-after strikers in the world after being involved in 73 goals since the beginning of the 2023/24 season. Besides him, Amorim has worked his magic on players like Joao Palhinha, Marcus Edwards, Goncalo Inacio and many more. However, if the Red Devils fail to negotiate a deal with Sporting Lisbon for Amorim, then they could turn their attention towards Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Ipswich Town’s Keiran McKenna. Having said that, Ruben Amorim ticks all the boxes, and failure to secure his services could lead to a fan uproar. The ball is firmly in Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s court.