SPORTING have confirmed that Manchester United will pay Ruben Amorim’s £8.3m release clause to replace Erik ten Hag as the club’s manager.
It comes after former manager Ten Hag was sacked on Monday morning following the Red Devils’ poor start to the 2024/25 Premier League season.
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Amor of the same
Ruben Amorim already has experience of getting the better of some of the Premier League’s top managers.
The Sporting Lisbon boss appears to be in pole position to replace Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hot-seat, after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday.
Amorim may have never managed in the Premier League, but his tactics have already come up trumps against some of the division’s best managers.
Most notably, his Sporting side saw off Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the Europa League last 16 in 2023.
Sporting knocked the Gunners out of Europe with some intelligent tactics that pushed Arteta’s side to the limit and ultimately knocked them out on penalties.
Amorim’s side managed a draw in both fixtures, a 2-2 game at home and a 1-1 effort at the Emirates.
‘Here we go’
Man Utd are set to pay Ruben Amorim’s €10m (£8.3m) Sporting Lisbon exit clause.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Sporting confirmed formal communications with Amorim to be appointed United manager.
The manager is already on board to take over at Old Trafford.
Mor change
Ruben Amorim could ring the changes at Manchester United if he is hired for the top job.
Amorim has favoured a 3-4-3 formation while at Sporting Lisbon which could suit the club’s defensive options.
And here is how SunSport reckons United could line up under Amorim.
Mour to learn
Ruben Amorim had an internship at Man Utd under Jose Mourinho in 2018.
He has previously cited the Special One as his “reference point” in coaching.
He has played down any comparisons between the pair, saying of his idol: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
More from Pep
He said on Ten Hag: “I wish him all the best, he and his family, and of course he’s going to come back stronger.
“He knows, I know, everybody knows: our job depends on the results. The results are not good enough.
“I’m saying that, and even myself, I’m not an exception. If the results are not good, there isn’t anything that can sustain it…
“Our job, unfortunately, is as simple as that: you have to get results.
“If you are [there] because you are handsome, or because you [speak well], or have good relationships with the hierarchies, forget about it.
“I have an incredible relationship with my hierarchy, but if I didn’t get results, I wouldn’t be here. This is a business, and when you become a manager, you have to know it.”
Credit: Reuters Pep talk
Pep Guardiola has spoken out following Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
He said: “Always I feel sorry for managers, you know? He’s lost his position, so I’m so sorry for him.
“I have a good, I think incredible relationship [with him]. I think he represented Manchester United at the highest level in terms of behaviours, of course.
“Our job as managers is one of the few jobs – in all the jobs in the world – where people are expecting to be sacked. People are expecting you don’t have a job.
“I don’t see architects or doctors or teachers or anything… The people deciding [their futures don’t say]: ‘Get out.’ It’s only us. It’s our job, we have to accept it.”
Am your man
Ruben Amorim’s potential move to Old Trafford could pave the way for a top striker to join United.
Once settled in to his job, the 39-year-old could attempt to lure Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres to Manchester.
The Sweden international has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea have all expressed an interest in signing the former Coventry star.
But Amorim’s presence could attract him to Old Trafford instead.
Family ties
Ruben Amorim’s brother in law Antero was famously the former Sporting Director at PSG – and was a Man Utd target – before the Red Devils switched their attention to Dan Ashworth.
He was responsible for the most expensive transfer ever – bringing Neymar to the Ligue 1 giants in a record-breaking £198million from Barcelona.
Antero also managed to convince Kylian Mbappe to snub Real Madrid, when he moved from Monaco.
While Dani Alves, who was fielding several offers from Premier League clubs, was persuaded that his future belonged in the French capital in 2017.
Before his tenure at PSG, Antero modernised Porto’s academy and introduced handball and basketball to the organisation.
Career in numbers
Here is Ruben Amorim’s career stats as both a player and manager.
Less is Amor
Man Utd will get Ruben Amorim out of his Sporting Lisbon contract for £16.5million less than other clubs would have to pay thanks to a shock clause, according to reports.
The 39-year-old has reportedly verbally agreed to join Man Utd and is already deep in talks.
Amorim’s deal at Sporting expires in 2026 – yet reports state he was planning to quit at the end of this season.
Newspaper A Bola claims he has three different release clauses in his contract.
Another Portuguese club would have to pay £25m for his services – while that figure drops to £17m for sides outside his homeland.
But there is also supposedly a “sharks” agreement that makes it easier for Europe’s elite to afford him.
The clause allows clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City and United to activate Amorim’s release for just £8.5m.
That means Sir Jim Ratcliffe is getting his man for £16.5m less than the other clubs like Porto or Benfica have to pay.
What a Hag-gle
Erik ten Hag’s final glory at Manchester United might have not happened if he had persisted with his originally planned tactics in the FA Cup final.
Ten Hag, 54, was kept in the position by new bosses Ineos over the summer after winning the FA Cup final against Manchester City, courtesy of goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
However, the result of that game could have turned out very different.
That is because, according to The Independent, Ten Hag’s original plan was to go “toe-to-toe” against the league champions.
And only after hours of debate led by then-technical director Darren Fletcher – who has since become one of Ten Hag’s coaching staff after Jason Wilcox joined – Ten Hag relented.
The tactical tweaks he made prior to the game worked as a treat, as the 4-4-2 shape helped United defend against Pep Guardiola’s side and gave United the ability to be dangerous on the counter.
Reports at the time suggested that Ten Hag had also listened to the advice of Wilcox to use Bruno Fernandes as a False 9 for the final, which yielded the captain an assist for the winner.
Best of alive
Ruben Amorim looks set to be the manager appointed as the new boss of Manchester United following the sacking of Erik ten Hag.
The Sporting CP head coach will inherit a squad that sits 14th in the Premier League and 21st in the Europa League table.
However, that is not to say he will come into a total mess at Old Trafford, with a talented squad with a number of bright young talents set to be at his disposal.
The summer’s transfers under new bosses Ineos also appear to fit like a glove for Amorim’s style of play.
The addition of a new defensive midfielder in Manuel Ugarte and two centre-backs in Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro have bolstered particularly weak areas of the squad from last season.
But problems have persisted over the summer, and Amorim, 39, will need to have a checklist of items on his agenda if he takes up the Red Devils mantle – as his idol Jose Mourinho once did.
Amorim €100m man
Viktor Gyokeres enjoyed a prolific campaign with Sporting Lisbon last season, scoring 43 goals in 50 appearances.
The 26-year-old has carried that impressive form over to this term with 14 goals in the same number of outings.
And, just last month, Amorim insisted Gyokeres is worth at least £83MILLION.
He said: “Viktor is a great player, and I believe he is worth €100 million.
“Particularly, Sporting, along with president Frederico Varandas and sporting director Hugo Viana, believes he is worth that amount.
“Therefore, that is the price; anyone wanting to sign him will have to pay €100 million.”
Credit: Reuters Numbers don’t lie
Here is how Erik ten Hag’s reign at Man Utd went downhill following 7-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Seven and hell
Erik ten Hag’s downfall at Manchester United may have started NINETEEN MONTHS ago.
Although Sunday’s Hammer blow may have been the result that burst Ten Hag’s bubble, it was a game over a year ago that started his descent into unemployment.
New stats from Opta show that United’s 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool in March 2023 was the turning point in Ten Hag’s tenure.
Not only was that result the moment that much of the Man Utd faithful lost faith in the gaffer, but it’s also when the wheels began to come off.
Prior to the defeat at Anfield, Ten Hag’s United had boasted a 73 PER CENT win rate, losing just six games over the course of the manager’s first 41 matches in all competitions.
Breaking silence
This is what Ruben Amorim said when probed on his links to replacing Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
He said: “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.”
Credit: Getty Family ties
Ruben Amorim’s brother in law Antero was famously the former Sporting Director at PSG – and was a Man Utd target – before the Red Devils switched their attention to Dan Ashworth.
He was responsible for the most expensive transfer ever – bringing Neymar to the Ligue 1 giants in a record-breaking £198million from Barcelona.
Antero also managed to convince Kylian Mbappe to snub Real Madrid, when he moved from Monaco.
While Dani Alves, who was fielding several offers from Premier League clubs, was persuaded that his future belonged in the French capital in 2017.
Before his tenure at PSG, Antero modernised Porto’s academy and introduced handball and basketball to the organisation.
Alternate XI
Here is another way Man Utd could line up under Ruben Amorim.
Mor change
Ruben Amorim could ring the changes at Manchester United if he is hired for the top job.
Amorim has favoured a 3-4-3 formation while at Sporting Lisbon which could suit the club’s defensive options.
And here is how SunSport reckons United could line up under Amorim.
Devils in disguise
It will take years to unpick this mess, years. Try maybe five at best.
If anyone thinks Ruben Amorim or any other new manager at Old Trafford is going to turn water into wine, or rather champagne, then forget it.
It is a mess of Manchester United’s own making. Or that of part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Mind you, he has washed his hands of such problems, claiming it is in fact the new ‘management team’ or whatever they are called, who take these decisions.
The Glazers have washed their hands of it, too, despite still counting the dollars.
Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth all claim to have arrived too late to be involved in the decisions at the end of last season. See how the buck is getting passed.
Married man
Ruben Amorim is a father of two and is married to Maria João Diogo, who have one son together.
Maria has built her own business in interior design with an academic degree in telecommunications engineering.
The couple got married in 2013 in front of 160 guests at a beautiful ceremony at the Palácio de S. Marcos church in Coimbra.
Players like Nuno Gomes, Miguel Vítor, Hugo Viana, Luís Filipe and Quim were all present. As was Maria’s brother, Antero Henrique.
Erik ten Swag
Erik ten Hag boards a private jet to the Netherlands after being axed as Manchester United manager yesterday with an expected £15million golden goodbye.
The Dutchman, 54, got his marching orders at 11am.
He was seen smiling at 2.15pm before a Cessna light aircraft flew him home from Manchester to Amsterdam.
Less than two hours after the announcement — at 1.30pm — sheepish Ten Hag was seen crouching down in the back of a black chauffeur-driven Mercedes S Class.
The 54-year-old Dutchman was whisked from his Cheshire home to Manchester Airport — where he was pictured in the gilet and with a rucksack — before his private jet left for Amsterdam at 2.15pm.
He is in line for a £15million payoff after a turbulent 2½-year spell and is the fifth manager sacked since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down after 27 years in 2013.
Dave Kidd
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has assembled one hell of a brains trust at Manchester United.
And it seems, by closing in on Ruben Amorim, that they have started to get brainy.
They have started taking intelligent decisions.
They are making Manchester United sensible again.
The Red Devils have fallen so far behind Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years that they have been little more than a speck in the rear view mirror of either of their North-West rivals.
Yet the Kop giants and City have both been strongly linked with Sporting boss Amorim, the hottest young property in European coaching, and it is United who are on the brink of landing him.
Top of the flops
Erik ten Hag has been sacked with Manchester United 14th in the Premier League and £300MILLION out of pocket.
Ten Hag leaves with an FA Cup and Carabao Cup to his name but in the league and Europe results were underwhelming.
And so too was his transfer business.
In his two seasons, Ten Hag signed 21 players costing over £545m.
Mour to learn
Ruben Amorim had an internship at Man Utd under Jose Mourinho in 2018.
He has previously cited the Special One as his “reference point” in coaching.
He has played down any comparisons between the pair, saying of his idol: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
