Sporting Club de Portugal manager Ruben Amorim. AP
Manchester United have made Ruben Amorim their top target to replace sacked manager Erik ten Hag.
Amorim
, currently head coach at
Sporting Lisbon
, responded to the speculation following Sporting's League Cup win against Nacional on Tuesday. He stated, "Nothing is decided yet," when asked if it was his last match with the Portuguese club.
Manchester United decided to end Ten Hag's two-year stint after losing 2-1 to West Ham, leaving the team in 14th place in the Premier League. Sporting Lisbon confirmed that Manchester United is willing to meet Amorim's release clause, which is set at 10 million euros.
Read | How much did sacking Erik ten Hag cost Manchester United?
Amorim, 39, has been with Sporting Lisbon since March 2020 and has won two Portuguese titles with the club. Though he dismissed speculation regarding his future on Monday, he did not rule out the possibility of leaving. He said, "I'm not going to talk about my future. I'm very proud to be the coach of Sporting Lisbon."
Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken over as interim manager for Manchester United. The club's poor performance, despite significant investments in new players during the summer, has prompted a search for new leadership.
Brighton’s manager, Fabian Hurzeler, commented on Amorim’s potential move, saying, "He's already achieved great things in Portugal. I've seen some games of him, he plays incredible football."
Amorim has been previously linked with a move to Liverpool, but the position was
filled by Dutch coach Arne Slot after Jurgen Klopp's departure.
Ten Hag's tenure at Manchester United faced challenges, including injuries to key players and underperforming expensive signings. Despite winning the League Cup in 2023, the team has struggled this season and failed to advance past the group stage of the Champions League last year.
United has not experienced significant improvement since last winning the Premier League in 2013.
Erik ten Hag
joined the club in May 2022 and was backed significantly in the transfer market but struggled to achieve consistent results.
In his last comments before the League Cup match against Leicester, Ten Hag emphasised the importance of winning trophies. He said, "Definitely, it's about trophies. If you win a trophy in pro football, that is most important because that is what the fans expect and what we expect, to win a trophy."
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