Manchester United are in talks to appoint Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim as their new head coach.
It is understood the 39-year-old would be open to taking the position at Old Trafford after he was identified as the top candidate for the role following Erik ten Hag's dismissal earlier in the day.
It is understood the 39-year-old would be open to taking the position at Old Trafford after he was identified as the top candidate for the role following Erik ten Hag's dismissal earlier in the day.
Category
đŸ¥‡
SportsTranscript
00:00Rich Fay here from Manchester World bringing you news that Manchester United are closing in on a deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as their next head coach.
00:10Manchester United identified the sporting Lisbon boss as the ideal candidate to take charge after Eric Ten Hag was sacked on Monday morning.
00:19United believe that Amorim, who is 39, is the perfect age, has a very good background in terms of developing young players,
00:28has an attractive style of play and a well-proven track record during his time at Sporting Lisbon where he's won two Portuguese titles.
00:35He's also won the equivalent of the Portuguese League Cup three times, twice with Sporting and once with Braga.
00:42United are hoping that they can get a deal for Amorim done before the weekend, potentially for him to take charge against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
00:51Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of United on Wednesday night when they face Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.
00:57But it will only be if all things go to plan for one match. United plan to fly out to Portugal, send some intermediaries out to try and conclude the deal, we believe, after Sporting play on Tuesday night.
01:11And if all things go well then Ruben Amorim could fly to Manchester on Wednesday ahead of that game against Leicester City.
01:17Who knows if he might even be spotted at Old Trafford when they take on Leicester.
01:22In terms of Manchester United's pursuit then, Amorim has quickly been identified as the top candidate.
01:28We brought you news earlier in the week that Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Frank were two other options.
01:33Xavi also someone who was liked by the club but maybe not seen as a realistic target because he is currently serving a sabbatical and is not currently in a position to return to club management.
01:45Man City, interestingly enough, were a team heavily linked with Ruben Amorim.
01:50But they have told Manchester World that while they are very aware of his success in Portugal, they do not believe that he was a leading contender to potentially replace Pep Guardiola at the season.
02:02That's because, one, there is no vacancy at Man City. Number two, they are more confident than ever perhaps that Pep Guardiola could sign a contract extension.
02:12And even if they were to look for a new manager, Amorim is not viewed as someone who has the same tactical outlook as what they would be looking for.
02:20Interestingly enough, Ruben Amorim cites Jose Mourinho rather than Pep Guardiola as one of his footballing heroes and mentors in terms of management.
02:30And he is well known for playing a 3-4-3 formation.
02:34So, one of the reasons Amorim didn't get the Liverpool job was because he was insistent on playing with three at the back using wing backs and having a very different style of approach to what they were used to.
02:44If he does take charge at Manchester United, it will be interesting to see if they allow him to have that tactical flexibility.
02:50Obviously, a lot of that will stem from technical director Jason Wilcox, sporting director Dan Ashworth as well.
02:57But, if Amorim gets his way, he could be in charge for Manchester United against Chelsea this weekend and they could be playing with three at the back as well.
03:04Follow us on Manchester World for all the latest Manchester United managerial news.