Cristiano Ronaldo’s description of Ruben Amorim will have Manchester United fans giddy with glee ahead of the latter’s looming arrival.
talkSPORT understands the Red Devils have agreed a £8.3million fee with Sporting to prise Amorim out of his contract.
Ronaldo has a positive view on AmorimGetty
Amorim has also verbally agreed personal terms with United, with the Premier League giants hopeful a deal can be concluded in time for him to take charge of the match against Chelsea on Sunday.
Barring any last-minute hitches, the United gig will be Amorim’s fifth managerial role having previously worked at Casa Pia and Braga’s first and second teams.
Amorim will take over a Red Devils side languishing in 14th on the Premier League table and in desperate need of a spark to kickstart their season.
It seems Ronaldo’s one-word summary of Amorim hints the 39-year-old will be able to do just that.
“The Manchester United job may look like an impossible one right now, but so did Sporting’s when Amorim was unveiled as their head coach on March 5 2020,” Portuguese football reporter Marcus Alves explained.
“Eloquent and outgoing, Amorim is irresistible and dominates the words in such a way that Cristiano Ronaldo used to call him ‘poet’ in the national team.
“Above all, the 39-year-old doesn’t tolerate lack of professionalism. This is a man who has pacified a team who seemed to be at war with itself once. He surely can do that twice if he’s allowed to.”
Amorim and Ronaldo played eight games for Portugal together, including a group stage match at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
However, Amorim has proved himself equally adept in the dugout as he was on the pitch as a midfielder having guided Sporting to two Primeira Liga titles and a Portuguese Super Cup in four years.
Ronaldo isn’t the only Sporting alumnus who has sung the praises of Amorim, either.
Amorim is poised to take over at Old TraffordGetty
Red Devils skipper Bruno Fernandes, who joined United from Sporting in January 2020, hailed how Amorim turned the club around and guided them to its first league title in almost two decades.
“Since Mr Amorim arrived at Sporting, it has been one of the teams to play the best football,” Fernandes told CNN Portugal earlier in October.
“They have been consistent, the signings have been right and they are in a very good moment. It’s a very well prepared team.
“In relation to Amorim, he shows that he is prepared at this moment. Coaching Sporting and winning championships is not easy, Sporting went 20 years without winning championships and Amorim arrived and has already won two, this shows that the work has been done well.
“If he could manage to do the same in England, Spain or anywhere else, you will never know until you get there, but I’m sure his qualities are there for everyone to see.”
Amorim is poised to take over at Old Trafford after the Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has been named interim boss and will take charge for the club’s Carabao Cup tie against Leicester City on Wednesday.
However, it could prove to be the Dutchman’s only game in charge should United get their wish and wrap up the deal for Amorim in the coming days.
Amorim is hugely popular at Sporting after ending decades of obscurity