Manchester United are ‘working on a deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as head coach’ after the side dismissed beleagured boss Erik ten Hag this afternoon.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein posted on X: ‘Manchester United working on deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as head coach.
‘#MUFC ready to pay €10m release clause + in talks with #SportingCP to finalise. 39yo Portuguese open to accepting move.’
The Portuguese was one of the names reportedly sounded out in the wake of ten Hag’s departure on Monday as assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy assumed interim charge.
Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez, Brentford manager Thomas Frank and ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic were also thought to be considered.
Manchester United are ‘working on deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as head coach’
The Portuguese was one of the names reportedly sounded out in the wake of ten Hag’s departure on Monday
Ten Hag was sacked this afternoon after months of speculation and with the Red Devils plumbing new depths in the Premier League
Amorim joined Sporting in 2020 and led them to their first league title since 2002 the following year.
He repeated the feat last season, and Sporting have made the perfect start to the current campaign, winning all eight league matches to open up a three-point lead at the top of the table.
Ten Hag was sacked this afternoon after months of speculation and with the Red Devils plumbing new depths in the Premier League, finding themselves in 14th place.
The 54-year-old was then spotted boarding a private jet back to the Netherlands just hours after his Manchester United sacking.
The decision to axe the Dutchman after two-and-a-half years in charge came after Sunday’s defeat at West Ham, leaving them below Julen Lopetegui’s side who had been struggling up to that point.
Ten Hag was in the dark over his fate until Monday morning, when he was called to meet with CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth. Sources say the meeting with ‘respectful and dignified’.
The decision did not come cheap with Mail Sport discovering that sacking Ten Hag is costing United around £15million. They triggered a one-year contract extension in the summer after deciding not to recruit a replacement.
Speaking back in July, after signing the one-year contract extension, Ten Hag said: ‘I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.
United’s FA Cup victory was seen as the reason Ten Hag kept his job, despite guiding the Red Devils to their worst finish of the Premier League era and early elimination in Europe
Ten Hag’s record at Manchester United across all competitions since his arrival in 2022
Ex-Man United star Ruud van Nistelrooy (left) has taken over from Ten Hag on an interim basis
‘However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.
‘In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.’
Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup earlier this year, two trophies he was insistent on reminding people when he faced criticism.
In his first season he led United to third in the Premier League, a marked improvement on the disastrous campaign before which saw them stumble to sixth under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
However, they were unable to build on that success. United finished bottom of their Champions League group in 2023 before recording their worst-ever Premier League finish of eighth.
Ten Hag won plaudits early on for how he handled stars, asserting his authority with a stern approach towards Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.
But pundits continually pointed out that United lacked a disernible plan and they suffered some heavy defeats during the Dutchman’s reign, be that 7-0 to Liverpool, 4-0 to Crystal Palace and Brentford, or the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham earlier this season which could have been more.
In a statement on the club website, the club said: ‘Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.
‘Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
‘We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.
‘Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited’.
It was reported this month that if Pep Guardiola leaves Manchester City next summer, Amorim would be strongly considered for the position.
But it seems United have stolen a march on their rivals despite Sporting’s current director of football Hugo Viana agreeing a deal to take over from Txiki Begiristain at City next year.
Edin Terzic (left) and Thomas Frank (right) were among those linked with the permanent role
Man United suffered their fourth league defeat of the season against West Ham on Sunday
It was reported this month that if Pep Guardiola leaves Manchester City next summer, Amorim would be strongly considered
Amorim previously denied that he had decided to follow Viana to the Premier League.
‘Hugo Viana and me, we have different and separate paths,’ he told Cabine Desportiva.
‘His appointment doesn’t mean that I’m going to Man City. We have a very good professional relationship.’
