Manchester United Targeting Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's Replacement

Manchester United is in discussions to hire Ruben Amorim, the current manager of Sporting CP, as the successor to Erik ten Hag, according to sources from The Athletic, including David Ornstein and Adam Crafton.

United is reportedly willing to pay €10 million to trigger the release clause in Amorim's contract, which has 18 months remaining. Ten Hag was dismissed from his position on Monday, leaving the club in 14th place in the Premier League standings.

Over the past two years, Amorim has been linked to several managerial roles in England. Chelsea considered him before appointing Mauricio Pochettino in 2023, and he was also on Liverpool's shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp. In May, he traveled to London for an interview with West Ham United but later issued an apology to fans in Portugal for his actions.

Following Ten Hag's exit, United appointed assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy as caretaker manager after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham, marking the club's worst start to a season in 35 years. The team has struggled in the Europa League, remaining winless after three matches.

This managerial change marks the first under INEOS since Jim Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake in the club in February. Ten Hag's contract was extended until June 2026 following an internal review and interviews with potential candidates, including Thomas Tuchel, who recently became the permanent manager of England's national team.

United has reportedly admired Brentford's Thomas Frank for some time but appears to have prioritized Amorim due to his impressive performance at Sporting, where the team currently boasts a record of 9 wins and no losses in the Primeira Liga, scoring 30 goals and conceding just two. Additionally, Sporting is in eighth place in the Champions League, with two victories from their first three matches, which is sufficient for automatic qualification to the knockout stage.

Sporting CP is also expected to lose sporting director Hugo Viana to Manchester City, where he is set to replace Txiki Begiristain as their new director of football. This development has led to speculation that Amorim may follow Viana to Manchester City as Pep Guardiola's eventual successor. United may have anticipated this possibility and acted quickly with their interest in Amorim.