Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim is a manager who ‘delivers, and delivers quickly’, according to talkSPORT’s Kevin Hatchard.
talkSPORT understands the Portuguese boss has reached a verbal agreement with Manchester United to succeed Erik ten Hag, who was sacked on Monday.
Hatchard backs Amorim to be a good fitGetty
Members of the United hierarchy sounded out Amorim last week as INEOS chief Sir Dave Brailsford met the 39-year-old, and the club are aiming to tie up the appointment swiftly.
More familiar names including ex-England boss Gareth Southgate and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann have been frequently linked with the Old Trafford job, while Amorim is an unknown entity in this country.
But thanks to talkSPORT’s European football expert Hatchard, Red Devils fans can be reassured that he has the credentials the club are looking for.
He told talkSPORT Breakfast: “I can completely understand why Man United are going for him. He’s been one of the most enterprising young coaches in European football for quite some time now.
“You look at the success he’s had, not just at Sporting, but actually at Braga before that. Amorim was promoted from within Braga and within two months, he’d already delivered their first win at Benfica for 65 years. I think he won his first game [against Belenenses] 7-1.
“In those first two months, he’d done enough to convince Sporting to pay €10m [£8.3m] to get him out of his contract. So you knew already he was a guy that was doing special things really, really quickly.”
And former Benfica midfielder Amorim didn’t disappoint when he arrived in Lisbon in 2020.
“Having got to Sporting, he managed to get them to fourth and in his first full season, he delivered the Primera Liga title for the first time in 19 years,” Hatchard continued. “So this is a guy that delivers, but he delivers quickly.
“That’s obviously what Manchester United need if they’re going to save this season.”
He continued: “[His football] will be attacking, but there’s a pragmatism there as well. They do play possession based attacking football. But if you look at that season where they did win the Primera Liga title the first time, they only conceded 20 goals.”
Mourinho was at Man United from 2016 to 2018Getty
Amorim is associated with a name much more familiar to Man United fans, too – former Red Devils and Porto manager Mourinho.
“He’s made no secret of the fact that he’s got an admiration for Jose Mourinho,” Hatchard explained. “And he actually went to visit Mourinho when Mourinho was the Manchester United manager. So it’s that mix.
“Yes, they play exciting football. Anyone who’s watched them will know that there’s a lot of width in their play. They get the wingbacks involved.
“They did have Pedro Porro, before he went to Spurs, they also had Nuno Mendes before he went to Paris Saint-Germain and now he’s got some very exciting wingbacks there as well. So yeah, they do play exciting football.
“They score goals, but they’ve got that structure as well.”
talkSPORT’s Henry Winter also previously gave listeners the low down on how Amorim sets his teams up.
“They’ve got a fantastic manager who plays a completely different style,” he said. “He plays 3-4-3. It’s going to be different from 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.
“So again, they’re going to have to go into the transfer market and strengthen, bring in stronger characters, bring in stronger players physically as well as mentally.”
Swedish star Gyokeres has been electric under AmorimGetty
Coventry City fans raved about Viktor Gyokeres while he was at the club, and he has gone up another gear since joining Lisbon for £20m and playing under Amorim.
The striker has collected 76 goals and assists from 64 games under the Portuguese boss. He’s already scored 14 goals in 14 games this season. He has a €100m [£83m] release clause as a result.
Hatchard continued: “Gyokeres went there, who we know, of course, from English football, he had to change slightly because he was used to having a more fluid front three.
“He had Paulinho there. It was more of a centre forwards, but he also was quite happy to have a fluid front three.
Man United need someone to come in and turn it around, and fast
Amorim would have a big job on his shouldersGetty
“Gyokeres went there and he went, okay, I can change this slightly. And he scored buckets of goals ever since getting there.
“Pedro Goncalves has been a really big player ever since he got there in that first title season. He got 23 goals from midfield. He’s got more goals than anyone in the league that year. And the second season they won [the league], he was like double figures for goals and assists.
“Sebastian Coates, who Liverpool fans will remember, was a massive part of that title success. First time around, really, really strong at centre back.
“There’s a licence for one of those centre backs to get forward and help out. Sometimes you’ll see that.”
Amorim has won two Primeira Liga with Sporting, first in 2021 and then again in 2024. He also lifted the League Cup in 2021 and 2022.
So with his history of getting the best out of players and winning titles, Hatchard’s account of Amorim’s career will likely be music for United fans’ ears.
