Ruben Amorim pushes for Manchester United move

Amorim has made it clear he wants to leave Sporting but United must reach agreement with coach on personal terms

Ruben Amorim is pushing to leave Sporting with the Portuguese club now resigned to losing their highly regarded head coach to join Manchester United.
A deal has not yet been fully agreed with United but Amorim has made it clear to Sporting that he wants to leave and succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Amorim does have a reputation for driving a hard bargain and can be demanding with sources cautioning that talks have been held in the past with United without an agreement being reached.
However the €10 million (£8.3 million) compensation fee it will take to release Amorim from his contract is not thought to be a problem. A greater issue may be Amorim’s personal financial demands and the make-up of his backroom staff but it is hoped this will not prove to be insurmountable.
The 39-year-old has emerged as United’s first-choice after a series of talks in recent weeks with formal negotiations beginning yesterday with Sporting after Ten Hag’s dismissal.
The Lisbon club have a Portuguese cup tie at home to Nacional this evening after which Amorim will be asked about his future. It is possible he will be able to announce his departure following the quarter-final.
Amorim, who speaks perfect English, is one of Europe’s most sought-after young managers and has long been on United’s radar.
Last summer Amorim’s release clause was €15 million (£12.5 million) but it has since been reduced per the terms of his contract. Amorim is a highly-confident coach who has, previously, been wedded to a 3-4-3 formation and it will be interesting to see if he sticks with that should he join United. Sources say he is unlikely to change.
United have also been considering the former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic who is out of work having left the German club in the summer despite leading them to the Champions League Final. He too speaks perfect English and has been approached.
Ten Hag was dismissed following a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth at the Carrington training ground on Monday morning. United will hire a head coach, under their new structure, rather than a manager which was the title Ten Hag held and fiercely guarded in the summer.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was appointed as one of Ten Hag’s assistants in July, has been placed in temporary charge as interim head coach until a permanent replacement is found.
The United players are set to train with Van Nistelrooy and assistant Rene Hake for the first time on Tuesday before facing Leicester City in the last-16 of the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday.