Man Utd news LIVE: Amorim deadline set as talks accelerate after Ten Hag sacked

Manchester City’s position on Ruben Amorim has not changed despite Manchester United opening talks with the Portuguese, The Independent understands.

Despite the links that have been made following the appointment of Hugo Viana as Manchester City’s new sporting director, there has never been interest in Amorim from the champions.

City’s preference is for Guardiola to stay beyond the season, although his contract is set to expire at the end of this campaign.

Ruben Amorim already has a vast amount of experience managing in Uefa competitions. He has coached 37 matches in Europe with Sporting, winning 14, drawing 10 and losing 14 across the Champions League and Europa League.

His best performance in the Champions League came in 2021/22 when Sporting reached the round of 16. Manchester City won 5-0 in Lisbon, before a goalless draw at the Etihad rounded out the tie.

However, Erik ten Hag had a good record in Europe with Ajax after taking the Dutch club to the brink of the Champions League final in 2019. It didn’t help him at Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim is in talks to become the next manager of Manchester United, with the 39-year-old set to finally take the next step in his coaching career after being linked with some of the biggest jobs in Europe as a result of his impressive work at Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese is considering the opportunity to replace Erik ten Hag as United negotiate with Sporting over his release fee. United’s football operations department placed Amorim at the top of their list and are hoping he can be convinced to leave Sporting mid-season.

If United are successful, they will appoint a manager who has been one of the most in-demand coaches in Europe over the last year.

Ruben Amorim’s potential move to Manchester United has seen Sporting Lisbon move for a successor.

And Joao Pereira, currently in charge of the B team, has been identified as a candidate to take charge of the team, according to A Bola.

Pereira enjoyed three spells with Sporting during his playing career and was part of Amorim’s title-winning team in 2021.

“Joao Pereira is making his mark, I think he is an excellent coach,” Amorim said last season. “he has all the conditions to become Sporting ‘s coach.”

One of Ruben Amorim’s star players, Viktor Gyokeres, could be on the move next summer.

With Rasmus Hojlund already at the club, the Sweden striker’s options in the Premier League appear to be elsewhere, should Amorim take over at United.

His release clause is set at €100m, reports Sky Sport’s Florian Plettenberg, but an agreement is in place for a transfer set at €60-70m.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly interested following his blazing start to the season, including 18 goals and seven assists.

Sporting play Nacional in the quarter-finals of the Taca de Liga cup on Tuesday night, and Amorim appeared at a press conference on Monday – hours after Ten Hag was sacked.

He was asked out the vacancy at Manchester United but refused to discuss another job out of respect for Sporting, who he is reluctant to leave mid-season.

Sporting have a 100 per cent record in the league this season and are course to win a third league title under Amorim.

Ruben Amorim refused to talk about his future at Sporting Lisbon as Manchester United opened discussions with the Portuguese over becoming their next permanent manager.

The 39-year-old is considering the opportunity to replace Erik ten Hag with United willing to negotiate with Sporting over Amorim’s release fee.

There has been considerable progress in early talks, but United want an answer from him by the weekend.

Manchester United are in talks to try and appoint Ruben Amorim, with the Sporting head coach understood to be considering the opportunity to replace Erik ten Hag. The Old Trafford hierarchy have put the 39-year-old top of their list, having not considered him during the summer. They are also willing to negotiate with the Portuguese club about a release fee that is within the region of €10m (£8.3m).

United are seeking to impress on Amorim the opportunity that the job presents and there has been considerable progress on talks, to the point that Amorim’s coaching staff has been discussed.

“I was expecting that question, and obviously I am not going to talk about my future,” Ruben Amorim says.

“I am not going to speak about my future because no matter what I say I’d have to always talk about it. Since the first day, I said it was not worthy to ask about it and I am not going to make any comments about my future.”

Pushed on whether he is proud to even be linked with the Manchester United job, Amorim simply responds: “I am very proud of being Sporting head coach.”

Ten Hag was sacked after United made their worst ever start to a Premier League season and with the club 14th in the table, having won just once in eight games.