Manchester United are ‘working on a deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as head coach’ after the team fired embattled boss Erik ten Hag this afternoon.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein posted on X: ‘Manchester United is working on a deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as head coach.
‘#MUFC is willing to pay a €10 million release clause + in talks with #SportingCP to finalize. 39-year-old Portuguese are open to a move.’
The Portuguese was one of the names reportedly sounded after Ten Hag’s departure on Monday when assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy took over as interim manager.
Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez, Brentford manager Thomas Frank and ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic are also said to be in consideration.
Manchester United are working on a deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as head coach
The Portuguese was one of the names that reportedly sounded after Ten Hag’s departure on Monday
Ten Hag was sacked this afternoon after months of speculation and as the Red Devils reached 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 by winning all eight league matches to open a three-point lead at the top of the table.
Ten Hag was sacked this afternoon after months of speculation and after the Red Devils reached new depths in the Premier League, landing in fourteenth place.
The 54-year-old was spotted boarding a private jet flight back to the Netherlands just hours after his Manchester United dismiss.
The decision to sack the Dutchman after two-and-a-half years in charge came after Sunday’s defeat at West Ham, which left them below Julen Lopetegui’s side, who had struggled up to that point.
Ten Hag was in the dark about his fate until he was called on Monday morning to meet with CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth. Sources call the meeting ‘respectful and dignified’.
His meeting with Berrada and Ashworth was said to have been “respectful and dignified.”
Mail Sport has discovered that sacking Ten Hag will cost United around £15million. They activated a one-year contract extension in the summer after deciding not to recruit a replacement.
United’s victory in the FA Cup was seen as the reason Ten Hag kept his job, despite leading the Red Devils to their worst result of the Premier League era and early elimination in Europe.
Ten Hag’s record at Manchester United in 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
Looking back in July, after signing the one-year contract extension, Ten Hag said: ‘I am very happy that I have reached an agreement with the club to continue working together. Looking back over the past two years, we can look back with pride on two trophies and many examples of progress from where we were when I joined.
‘However, we must also be clear that there is still a lot of hard work to do to reach the expected level of Manchester United, which means a challenge for English and European titles.
“In my conversations with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision to achieve 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 keen to remind people of when he was criticized.
In his first season he led United to third place in the Premier League, a marked improvement on the disastrous season before, in which they limped 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 before recording their worst ever Premier League finish of eighth.
Ten Hag received early praise for the way he handled stars and asserted his authority with a strict approach towards Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.
But pundits continually pointed out that United did not have a respectable plan and that they suffered a number of heavy defeats during Ten Hag’s reign, whether that was 7-0 against Liverpool, 4-0 against Crystal Palace and Brentford, or the 3- 0 defeat against Tottenham earlier this season. what could have been more.
In a statement on the club website, United said: ‘Erik ten Hag has left his role as manager of Manchester United’s men’s first team.
‘Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, including winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
Edin Terzic (left) and Thomas Frank (right) were among those linked to the permanent role
Man United suffered their fourth league defeat of the season against West Ham on Sunday
This month it was reported that if Pep Guardiola were to leave Manchester City next summer, Amorim would be strongly considered
‘We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him the best for the future.
‘Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, while a permanent head coach is appointed.’
This month it was reported that if Pep Guardiola leaves Manchester City next summer, Amorim would be strongly considered for the job.