Manchester United officially name Portuguese Ruben Amorim as head coach
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Ruben Amorim has joined Manchester United as their new manager on a deal until 2027.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – It was the worst-kept secret but Ruben Amorim was on Nov 1 finally named as the new manager of Manchester United on an official basis, replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag.
The 39-year-old Portuguese coach, who won two Primeira Liga titles with Sporting Lisbon, has signed a deal until 2027 and will join the club on Nov 11.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as head coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements,” the club said on their website.
“He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club.”
United described Amorim as “one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football”.
“Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP – the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years,” the club statement added.
Meanwhile, interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy – who oversaw a 5-2 League Cup win over Leicester City in midweek – will continue to take charge of the team
The Red Devils will next host Chelsea in the English Premier League on Nov 3, while Amorim’s first game in charge will be away at struggling Ipswich Town on Nov 24.
United fired ten Hag on Oct 28
Amorim quickly emerged as the club’s top target and Sporting issued a statement to the Lisbon stock exchange earlier this week confirming United were willing to meet his release clause of €10 million (S$14 million).
The Portuguese was then peppered with questions about his prospective switch at the press conference ahead of Sporting’s home league game against Estrela on Nov 1 but he remained tight-lipped.
“It is a negotiation between two clubs,” he said on Oct 31.
“It’s never easy. Even with the clauses it’s never easy, they have to talk.”
Amorim was expected to speak again after the match, which kicked off after press time.
Prior to the win against Leicester in the last 16 of the League Cup, United had won just one of their past eight games in all competitions.
Ten Hag won the League Cup and FA Cup during his spell at Old Trafford but the club have not topped the Premier League since 2013, in Alex Ferguson’s last season in charge.
United clinched the Premier League title 13 times under Ferguson but since the Scot’s departure, five permanent managers have come and gone without adding to the club’s 20 top-flight titles.
Van Nistelrooy said on Oct 31 that he was “motivated” to help turn United’s season around and wants to stay at the club as he prepares the players for their high-profile match against Chelsea.
Asked if it is his expectation that he will remain as an assistant manager under the new United boss, van Nistelrooy, a former PSV Eindhoven coach, said: “We will see but it’s a contract situation that I’m in, and my desire to help the club go forward.
“So I can speak to you about my side of this story, and after that, when the new situation is occurring, when the new manager is signing and conversations take place, we have to see how things develop.”
For now, United fans can look forward to yet another new era as they prepare to welcome the charismatic Amorim, who is known for his crowd-pleasing style of high pressing and possession-based football. AFP, REUTERS
