RUBEN AMORIM has touched down in Manchester to begin life as Manchester United manager.
Thousands of footballs fans eagerly tracked the Portuguese boss’ flight as he made his way from Lisbon to the UK.
Amorim’s flight, a private jet from Beja international airport, was the most tracked flight in the world on popular flight tracking site Flightradar24.
Man Utd fans are clearly excited to see their new boss make an impact at Old Trafford after things had gone stale under the management of Erik ten Hag.
Amorim ducked out of site of cameras as he left Manchester Airport in a car.
The Prem’s newest gaffer was given a police escort off the premises.
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Amorim took charge of his final game as Sporting boss last night, waving goodbye to the fans after a 4-2 win over Braga.
And one of the first jobs for the new arrival will be to hold discussions with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has steadied the ship for the incoming boss since Ten Hag’s departure.
Van Nistelrooy, who made over 200 appearances for United as a player, acted as United’s interim boss in Ten Hag’s absence – leading the club to three wins and one draw in his four games in charge.
Amorim explained after last night’s game that he is set for crunch talks with the Dutchman over his role at Old Trafford.
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Ruben Amorim leaves Sporting on a high
By Charlie Wyett
RUBEN AMORIM would have preferred to leave Lisbon in a blaze of glory after winning a third Primeira Liga title.
Yet football does not work like that. And in what was surely his final game before taking charge of Manchester United, Amorim prepared to say his goodbyes at a half-empty Estadio Jose Alvalade in a League Cup quarter-final against Nacional.
Sporting won 3-1 thanks to second-half goals by captain Morten Hjulmand and Viktor Gyokeres, who scored two.
Luis Esteves pulled back for Madeira-based Nacional.
The stadium will be a good deal more lively on Tuesday when Manchester City are here for a Champions League match — although Amorim should by then have his feet firmly under his desk at Old Trafford.
Liverpool and Aston Villa were both interested in Europe’s most sought-after coach. Even City could have been a possible destination post-Pep Guardiola.
Yet the United job is one Amorim, 39, could not turn down — even if not everyone saw it that way at Sporting last night.
There is clearly a huge split in the Portuguese club’s fan base over their coach leaving at this stage of the season with many believing he should have seen the job through.
Yet Amorim, along with the three-man coaching team who are expected to follow him, leaves a club in a much better state than when he arrived here in 2020.
Inside the stadium, there was applause — albeit muted — when his name was read out before the game along with the line-ups.
And there did not appear to be any jeers when Amorim shuffled out from the tunnel awkwardly towards the dugout.
So, while his departure is hard to take for some, none of the fans will forget his legacy.
This is a club which is back as the dominant force in Portugal. Even this term, Sporting have won their first nine league games, scoring 30 goals and conceding just two.
They are also eighth in the Champions League table, which is one hell of an effort.
In contrast, Lisbon was not exactly hit by League Cup fever last night.
Amorim made lots of changes, which saw Sporting’s star man Gyokeres, the former Coventry striker, start on the bench.
There was, however, a first appearance in six weeks for former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards.
He is certainly one player who has been transformed by Amorim since arriving at the club from Vitoria in 2022 and will be sorry to see the coach leave.
While he changed his team, Amorim stuck with his tried and trusted formation of a back three.
It will certainly be something Manchester United’s fans will have to get used to over the coming months.
But looking at the Premier League table, none of them will be complaining about the change.
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He said: “About a legend of the club. He did a great job. I have to talk with him tomorrow [Monday].
“Then I will explain everything. I am very clear and I will tell you like it is. Let’s wait until tomorrow”.
Van Nistelrooy signed a two-year contract with United in the summer as an assistant manager, but reports have suggested that Amorim is hoping to bring Sporting assistants Emanuel Ferro, Adelio Candido and Carlos Fernandes along to Manchester with him.
Sporting have moved on quickly themselves, announcing a new boss at the club before Amorim even touched down in Manchester.
The Portuguese giants announced Joao Pereira, 40, as manager earlier today.
Pereira, a former right-back, who played 154 games for Sporting has been involved in coaching there since his retirement from playing in 2021.
He has also won EVERY game this season while managing the club’s B team.
Amorim will get to work with a limited squad at United during the international break.
The 39-year-old will then take charge of his first game son November 24, an away trip to face Ipswich Town.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
