Manchester United manager news LIVE: Ruben Amorim gives update after release clause triggered
Sporting CP have confirmed Manchester United are interested in appointing Amorim and are prepared to pay his release clause
Ruben Amorim is set to become Manchester United’s next manager, with Sporting Lisbon confirming that the Premier League club are prepared to pay a €10m (£8.3m) release clause for his services.
Talks between United and Sporting accelerated on Tuesday, with reports insisting the release clause has now been triggered, and the Portuguese coach could now be appointed in time to take charge of Sunday’s Premier League match against Chelsea.
Amorim wants the job and has agreed to be the club’s next manager after the Old Trafford hierarchy put the 39-year-old at the top of their list to replace Erik ten Hag.
“Manchester United have registered an interest in hiring Ruben Amorim and paying his €10m release clause,” a statement from Sporting said.
Amorim took charge of Sporting’s League Cup match against Nacional on Tuesday night, while Ruud van Nistelrooy will oversee United’s Carabao Cup tie against Leicester City on Wednesday.
Follow all the latest news and updates below as United close in on their new manager:
Ruben Amorim says ‘nothing has been decided’ amid interest from Manchester United
Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has addressed the reports linking him with the vacant managerial role at Manchester United and says ‘nothing has been decided’.
He spoke to the media following his team’s 3-1 victory over Nacional in the Portuguese league cup on Tuesday evening but refused to confirm whether he will be the man to replace Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
“Nothing is decided yet. I don’t know if it’s the farewell game or not.” said the 39-year-old when asked if he had overseen a Sporting match for the final time.
Ruben Amorim says ‘nothing has been decided’ amid interest from Manchester United
The 39-year-old spoke after Sporting CP’s victory in the Portuguese league cup
Neville reacts to Erik ten Hag sacking
After Erik ten Hag’s sacking on Monday, Gary Neville told Sky Sports: “The big shock for me is how bad they’ve been with the new signings that have come in.
“I felt as though they would have enough to be able to get a decent level of performance together after a smoother transfer window, and that Erik ten Hag would get a level of stability.
“The fact that they are 14th is unacceptable. You can’t be in 14th after nine or 10 games with the level of spend that’s occurred without being under significant pressure – and that’s what’s happened.
“I was hoping it would end differently. I think Manchester United fans were hoping that the manager would continue to keep his job and the faith shown in him in the summer would pay off. But it’s not been the case.”
Ruben Amorim provides update to Manchester United links
Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim is being heavily linked with a mid-season move to Manchester United after the Red Devils sacked former boss Erik ten Hag on Monday.
Sporting defeated Nacional in the Portuguese League Cup on Tuesday evening and Amorim issued a brief statement on the United situation after the game.
He said: “Nothing is decided yet… I don’t know if it’s the farewell game or not.”
Negotiations between the two clubs continue over a compensation package should Amorim depart.
Lineker says Ten Hag’s sacking had ‘degree of eventuality’
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe kept faith with Erik ten Hag following United’s FA Cup victory over Manchester City in May, but Gary Lineker believes there was a “degree of eventuality” regarding the Dutchman’s departure.
Lineker said: “It’s been an ongoing saga, which started in the summer just before the FA Cup (final) when we got wind of the fact United were sounding out other coaches.
“They seemed to go for Thomas Tuchel but he didn’t take the job, then they subsequently went back to Ten Hag. I suppose there was a degree of eventuality about this.”
Lineker read out a list of the new players signed during Ten Hag’s tenure, adding: “It’s not like he’s not been backed. That’s a hell of a lot of money and it hasn’t worked at all.
“His argument will be ‘I’ve won trophies’ and he has, he’s won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, but I think you’ve got to judge managers on their league position.”
Erik ten Hag was a dead man walking at Man Utd – Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer said Erik ten Hag had been a “dead man walking” after it emerged Manchester United sounded out other managers in the summer.
Ten Hag was sacked as United boss on Monday following a disappointing start to the season, with United confirming Ruud van Nistelrooy will take interim charge.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, hosted by fellow former England striker Gary Lineker, Shearer believes Ten Hag’s sacking was inevitable in the end.
He said: “We were just waiting for it to happen. Even the way he was talking that ‘we’re all on the same page’. Well, they weren’t really on the same page because everyone knew they were talking to managers in the summer.
“If they’re on the same page why on earth are they speaking to managers in the summer? As soon as that came out we all said he was a dead man walking, unfortunately.
“For them then to give him a new contract after that was bizarre really, and to back him with £200m, and in nearly four months they’ve sacked him. Bizarre.”
Key tasks for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United
Re-engage fans
Old Trafford has been beset with an air of toxicity since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013. Although Jose Mourinho had brief success, trouble never seemed far away. Only heroic feats as a player and an amazing spell as interim saved Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from fierce criticism. The new manager has to turn around the atmosphere at the club and have everyone pulling in the same direction.
Key tasks for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United
Goals
Ten Hag will have cleared out his office on Monday thinking about what could have been had his players scored some of their first-half chances at West Ham on Sunday. That has been United’s biggest Achilles heel so far as they have failed to make their dominance count in games. Only Southampton and Crystal Palace have scored fewer than them in the Premier League so far, so the new manager must find a way for his players to be more clinical.
Key tasks for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United
Provide a clear identity
A big criticism during the Ten Hag era was that there was no identity to his United side and it was a mystery as to how they would set up from one game to the next. The new manager must change that and provide a team with an obvious personality and defined character – preferably one that attacks and plays on the front foot.
Key tasks for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United
Hit the ground running
It is the most obvious place to start, but Amorim will be expected to turn results around quickly. Ten Hag was ultimately fired because he was simply not winning enough games and the new man must hit the ground running. He will inherit a side 14th in the Premier League after four defeats from their opening nine games and struggling in the Europa League.
Who is Ruben Amorim? Why Sporting manager is wanted by Manchester United
Ruben Amorim is set become the next manager of Manchester United, with the 39-year-old set to finally take the next step in his coaching career after being linked with some of the biggest jobs in Europe as a result of his impressive work at Sporting Lisbon.
The Portuguese is in line to replace Erik ten Hag with United signalling their intent to pay Sporting over his release fee. United’s football operations department placed Amorim at the top of their list and have convinced the 39-year-old to leave Sporting mid-season.
If United are successful, they will appoint a manager who has been one of the most in-demand coaches in Europe over the last year.
Who is Ruben Amorim? Why Sporting manager is wanted by Manchester United
Amorim, 39, has been tipped as a potential replacement to Pep Guardiola after his successful stint at Sporting Lisbon but is now favourite to be named Manchester United’s new manager
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