Ruben Amorim stance revealed after Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim is reluctant to leave Sporting mid-season, amid interest from Manchester United after the club sacked Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese is one of the names being considered as the beleaguered Old Trafford club attempt to decide what next after yet another defeat.

The 39-year-old has become one of the most highly-rated coaches in Europe, and is now widely seen as Pep Guardiola's likeliest successor at Manchester City, having previously lauded the Spaniard as “a reference for all managers”.

That interest has come from the manner he has restored Sporting to the top of Portuguese football, as they already sit on top of the league after titles in 2020-21 and 2023-24. It is for that reason that Amorim does not want to leave the club mid-season, though, with the situation further complicated by a significant buy-out of around €20m for a foreign club.

United found themselves reluctant to move on mid-season, as it could bring the total cost of replacing Ten Hag to more than £30m. The club have been forced to consider alternatives again, given that poor results continued after the new Ineos football leadership decided to persist with the Dutch coach at the start of the month.

Thomas Tuchel had been seen as the most viable replacement only to sign up with England, and United are monitoring a lot of the same names they looked at in the summer. Brentford's Thomas Frank remains of interest. Although there has been contact with Xavi Hernandez through intermediaries, the former Barcelona coach is seen as highly unlikely.

United have named new assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim boss, while a decision over the long-term successor to Ten Hag has yet to be made.

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Ruben Amorim has been linked with the managerial role at Manchester United and Manchester City (PA Wire)

Amorim, who was himself very close to Liverpool before they went with Arne Slot, is seen as one of those managers who can offer authority as well as a modern coaching outlook at a club. A further problem for United is that he has multiple potential options.

Amorim is close to Sporting's current technical director Hugo Viana, with the latter's pending appointment at City leading many to believe that the manager's eventual arrival there is a fait accompli.

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Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim looks on (AFP via Getty Images)

Amorim was nevertheless a bit more open on the issue in the last few weeks, insisting that he and Viana aren't necessarily on the same path.

There are also so many variables to the City situation, given that Guardiola might yet decide to stay, and there is the uncertainty that comes from the hearing.