Manchester United Appoint Ruben Amorim As New Head Coach

Manchester United have appointed Ruben Amorim as their new manager, with the Portuguese set to move from Sporting Lisbon on November 11 “once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club”.

He joins United on a deal until June 2027, with the club retaining the option of a further year. Sporting later confirmed they are receiving €11m for the 39-year-old.

Amorim’s first match in charge will be a trip to Ipswich Town after the international break on November 24, with interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy to remain in the dugout until then.

United moved quickly after sacking Erik ten Hag on Monday following a 2-1 league defeat by West Ham. They languish in 14th place in the table, having won just three of their first nine games and splurging over £500m on flawed signings under the Dutchman.

Former striker Van Nistelrooy oversaw a 5-2 thrashing of Leicester City in the League Cup in the side’s first game since Ten Hag’s departure.

Interestingly, Amorim will face United’s local rivals Manchester City before he departs Sporting on Tuesday, November 5 in the UEFA Champions League.

Sporting also face Estrela Amadora on Friday evening, before Amorim’s signs off at the club with an away trip to former side Braga on November 10.

Amorim has been highly fancied by Premier League clubs before, having been heavily linked with Liverpool in the summer before Arne Slot took the top job on Merseyside.

He has won two league titles with Sporting since joining in 2020, including their first in 19 years in his first full season in charge, as well as three League Cups.

Sporting are three points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga, having won all nine of their opening games in the top flight this season, scoring 30 goals and conceding just two in that run.

As a player, Amorim spent the majority of his career as a midfielder with Belenenses and Benfica, winning 10 major titles, and earned 14 caps for the national side.

He began his managerial career in 2018 with a brief spell at Casa Pia before a meteoric rise, enjoying a successful start at Braga before being poached by Sporting in what was at the time the third-most expensive managerial transfer ever.

Amorim’s first match at Old Trafford will be against Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Europa League.

Source: Eurosport