Stunning praise for next Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim, as Man City distance themselves from hijack rumours

Manchester United have been told they are getting an elite coach in Ruben Amorim, with a Portuguese football expert heaping praise on the 39-year-old, while Manchester City are not actively planning a manager hijack.

Man Utd sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday and have moved quickly to line up Sporting CP boss Amorim as his replacement. Amorim has already agreed on a contract with United, as well as agreeing the project he will be undertaking at Old Trafford.

United sent a delegation to Portugal on Tuesday night to try and wrap up a deal with Sporting for the tactician. The Red Devils are poised to meet his €10million (£8.3m / $10.8m) release clause in full.

While United’s swoop for Amorim seems to be running along smoothly, it emerged on Tuesday night that his weeks-long notice period at Sporting could delay his arrival in England.

Nevertheless, United are making progress to bring in their No 1 managerial target, and he is one of the most exciting young coaches around.

Portuguese analyst Filipe Dias has now compared Amorim to a legendary managerial figure and revealed where he ranks among the best Primeira Liga coaches.

“He is the best manager Portugal have produced since Jose Mourinho,” Dias said on Sky Sports. “He’s not at the top of Portuguese football… He is the top.”

Will Amorim be able to have a similar impact in the Premier League to Mourinho? Let us know your thoughts in the comments ⏬

Given Amorim’s standing as one of the best rising coaches around, it is understandable that United’s rivals Manchester City have also cast admiring glances his way.

Journalist Guillem Balague even suggested Amorim might snub United and wait to see if the City job becomes available, with Pep Guardiola’s future uncertain.

However, City insist they are not in the mix for the former midfielder. According to reporter Ben Jacobs, Amorim was never a concrete target for City as his playing style does not suit them.

DON’T MISS: Six Man Utd players who could benefit from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

Third time lucky for Ruben Amorim

Amorim has held talks about a move to England before, with both Liverpool and West Ham United.

Liverpool spoke with Amorim after learning that their top target to succeed from Jurgen Klopp – Xabi Alonso – wanted to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.

But the Reds did not want to match Amorim’s costly release clause, which was €20m (£16.6m / $21.6m) at that stage.

The ex-Benfica star was then targeted by West Ham as a possible replacement for David Moyes. He travelled to London to hold face-to-face talks with West Ham officials, but the move did not materialise.

Amorim was subsequently forced to apologise to Sporting for his ‘disrespectful’ actions.

Amorim is now poised to arrive in the Premier League at the third time of asking. Although, he is taking on a far bigger job than he has ever done before.

The scrutiny involved with managing United is very intense, while he must also re-build trust among fans who have had to witness sub-par performances, and become frustrated by players not living up to their potential.

United legend Paul Scholes is unsure whether Amorim has the know-how and experience needed to thrive at Old Trafford, but the club’s new boss will be gunning to prove these doubters wrong.

READ MORE – Erik ten Hag sack: The five lowest points of Dutchman’s troubled tenure at Man Utd

Man Utd news: Ten Hag ‘let down’, squad’s true feelings emerge

Meanwhile, Ten Hag reportedly feels ‘let down’ by a number of United’s senior players.

Casemiro, Marcus Rashford and Antony are singled out as the players who have not helped Ten Hag’s cause in particular.

Casemiro is on the decline, which has resulted in Manuel Ugarte arriving as his replacement in midfield, while Rashford’s form peaked and dipped during Ten Hag’s tenure.

The Dutch manager played a crucial role in bringing Antony to United in the summer of 2022, but the winger has not gotten anywhere near to justifying his massive £86m (€103.4m / $111.9m) price tag.

With Ten Hag now gone, TEAMtalk can reveal what the United squad think about his incoming replacement.

Most players in the United squad have reacted extremely positively to the news. While many had good relations with Ten Hag, they feel it is the right time for a change to be made.

Amorim is viewed as a modern appointment with forward planning, and players believe this should help United get closer to their rivals.

Amorim’s favoured Sporting players – could United swoop in?