Manchester United were in talks on Monday night to appoint Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim as their new manager after sacking Erik ten Hag.
Mail Sport revealed last week that Amorim was one of four targets if Ten Hag was axed, and United announced on Monday morning that the Dutchman’s two-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford was over.
His assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy has been put in temporary charge, but United swiftly opened talks with Amorim and Sporting over triggering the £8.5millon release clause in his contract in Portugal.
The 39-year-old, who was interviewed over the managerial vacancies at Liverpool and West Ham earlier this year, is said to be open to a move to Old Trafford.
It’s understood that Amorim was planning to leave Sporting at the end of the season, but was made aware of United’s interest earlier this month and has had two rounds of talks.
Man United were in talks with Ruben Amorim on Monday night about him becoming manager
The Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag after slipping to 14th in the Premier League table
CEO Omar Berrara, who used to work for Manchester City, is leading the recruitment search
Asked about the links to United in the wake of Ten Hag’s sacking, he said on Monday: ‘I was already expecting this question 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.’
Amorim has also been linked with Manchester City if Pep Guardiola leaves next summer after it was confirmed that Hugo Viana, his director of football at Sporting, will replace Txiki Begiristain in the same role at the Etihad last season.
Omar Berrada, who left City to become United’s new chief executive in the summer, will have been aware of his old club’s interest in Amorim and is leading the search for Ten Hag’s replacement.
Berrada also held talks with Xavi Hernandez in Spain but the former Barcelona coach is reluctant to take the job in mid-season and also has a family issue that would make it difficult for him to move to England before the end of the campaign.
Brentford’s Thomas Frank was one of the other names on United’s list, while Graham Potter has also been discussed.
United took the decision to sack Ten Hag with the club lying 14th in the Premier League following Sunday’s defeat at West Ham, and in the bottom half of the Europa League.
He was summoned to a meeting with Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth at Carrington on Monday morning and informed of the decision.
The 54-year-old Dutchman, who is expected to receive up to £15m in compensation, flew to Holland on a private jet around lunchtime.
Amorim has won two league titles with Sporting and has previously courted by Liverpool and West Ham
It’s understood that the decision by United’s leadership team was collective and unanimous, even though sources say it was ‘a difficult and finely balanced’ one.
They claim that the United hierarchy wanted continuity following wholesale changes to the leadership team and backroom staff in the summer, and gave Ten Hag all the support they could to succeed, but did not see enough evidence of progress to convince them the team was on the right path.
The sources praised Ten Hag for conducting himself with dignity but said there were ‘no excuses’ for the poor start to the season.
