Real reasons Liverpool and Man City rejected Ruben Amorim emerge, as Man Utd roll the dice

One element Ruben Amorim brings was described as a ‘deal-breaker’ for Liverpool, and why Manchester City also swerved the incoming Manchester United manager has been revealed.

Amorim is on course to replace Erik ten Hag as the next permanent manager of Man Utd. Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken charge in an interim capacity and will be in the dugout for tonight’s EFL Cup clash with Leicester.

A full agreement between Man Utd and Amorim has been struck, with Fabrizio Romano giving the switch his signature ‘here we go’ confirmation on Tuesday. United have also agreed to trigger Amorim’s €10m release clause.

Barring any unforeseen late hitches, Amorim will become Ten Hag’s successor, though two reports have divulged why United’s biggest rivals steered clear of the Sporting CP boss.

Liverpool explored appointing Amorim as Jurgen Klopp’s successor earlier in 2024. But per the i newspaper, Amorim’s insistence on playing with a back three proved a ‘deal-breaker’ for The Reds.

It’s a similar story over at The Etihad amid Man City sizing up an heir to Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard is in the final year of his contract with Man City and is yet to decide whether to sign an extension.

Sporting CP chief Hugo Viana will replace Txiki Begiristain as the director of football at Man City in 2025. If Guardiola departs, the obvious move for Viana would have been to appoint the manager who brought so much success to Sporting CP – Ruben Amorim.

But per reporter Ben Jacobs, Man City viewed Amorim as a poor fit stylistically for the foundations Guardiola has laid.

Taking to X, Jacobs wrote: “Understand there was never any genuine Man City interest or approach. City want Pep Guardiola to stay and despite the arrival of Hugo Viana, don’t view Amorim as a stylistic fit despite respect for his success at Sporting.”

Crucially for Man Utd, The Athletic state Amorim’s insistence on deploying a back three is not viewed as an issue at Old Trafford. They claimed Man Utd believe the current make-up of their squad is actually fairly well suited to the formation change.

READ MORE: Six Man Utd players who could benefit from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

Reason for West Ham rejection also emerges

Amorim held talks West Ham earlier in 2024 as they sought to hire a replacement for David Moyes. Amorim even jetted over to England to be interviewed by the club.

But per The Daily Mail – who cite a source close to Hammers chairman David Sullivan – the fact Amorim has never managed outside of Portugal put the club off.

The source is quoted as saying: ‘There were many reasons we didn’t appoint Ruben (not just compensation and paying for staff).

‘He’s a great manager, but he’s a huge gamble AS HE’S ONLY DONE IT in his own country with one club. We liked him very much, but we chose Julen [Lopetegui].’

Amorim does share a similarity with Erik ten Hag in that regard. Ten Hag’s only senior managerial jobs in football prior to joining Man Utd were all in his home country of the Netherlands (Go Ahead Eagles, Utrecht, Ajax).

Ten Hag did manage in Germany with Bayern Munich’s reserve team, though that is not classified as elite-level football.

Ruben Amorim to Man Utd latest

When Amorim can take charge at Man Utd is yet to be determined, with outlets differing on the exact date.

Indeed, while The Times state Amorim’s first match could be the Premier League clash with Chelsea on Sunday, The Daily Mail claim Amorim must serve a notice period of a ‘number of weeks.’

Elsewhere, why Man Utd only have to pay €10m to spring Amorim’s move to Old Trafford has emerged.

Portuguese outlet A Bola revealed Amorim’s deal at Sporting contains a three-tiered release clause, with Portuguese clubs required to pay €30m, most European clubs due to pay €20m and seven of the biggest teams required to pay the smallest fee of €10m.

Their report claimed Man Utd fall into the third category, meaning they’ll only need to pay €10m to spring Amorim from his deal in Lisbon. The other six clubs in that category are Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City and Juventus.

Regarding transfers, talkSPORT claim misfiring winger Antony has no future under Amorim and has already been informed he’s free to find a new club in January.

Antony may not be the only major exit, with i newspaper reporting Van Nistelrooy expects to be ousted when Amorim brings his full coaching staff over from Sporting.

On the subject of transfers, insider Rudy Galetti has informed us Amorim has already broached Man Utd about the possibility of bringing three Sporting stars to Old Trafford.

The trio in question are centre-back Goncalo Inacio and attackers Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves.

One player who isn’t likely to forge a reunion with Amorim in Manchester is star striker, Viktor Gyokeres.

Sky Germany state the Swedish marksman is currently not on United’s radar despite the imminent appointment of Amorim.

Gyokeres is fully expected to leave Sporting in the summer of 2025 and can actually be signed for a fee in the €60m-€70m range via a unique clause in his contract. That is far below the €100m his official release clause is set at.

But rather than Man Utd, Sky Germany insisted Gyokeres is far likelier to join one of Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool or Chelsea. That quartet are ‘particularly active’ in pursuing Gyokeres, per the reporter.

Ruben Amorim trophy haul at Sporting CP