Manchester United are working on a deal to appoint Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon as their new head coach.

This was reported by sources in Portugal who spoke anonymously because they are not authorized to discuss the matter The athlete The 39-year-old is ready to take advantage of the opportunity after Erik ten Hag was released earlier on Monday.

United are prepared to pay the €10m (£8.3m) release clause in their contract with the two clubs to complete a deal that could see Ruud van Nistelrooy become interim manager ahead of Amorim's arrival.

Amorim has become one of Europe's most sought-after young managers after a successful run with the Portuguese club. United moved quickly after making him their No.1 target to replace Ten Hag.

He struggled to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before Arne Slot finally got the job and also held talks about replacing David Moyes at West Ham before later apologizing and calling the meeting a “mistake”.

He won the Primeira Liga title in 2021 and again last season, while he also won the Taca da Liga – the Portuguese League Cup – twice with Sporting and a third time with his previous club Braga.

He has also gained a reputation as a coach known for using young players and improving the performance of individual players.

Amorim was a midfielder during his playing career, won three championships with Benfica and played 14 international matches for the Portuguese national team.

Amorim has built a good reputation through his work in Portugal (Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

Ten Hag was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to the League Cup title in his first season in charge and the FA Cup in May.

The former Ajax head coach was retained as United manager in the summer following an end-of-season review by the club's management, but only after potential replacements had been explored, including current England head coach Thomas Tuchel, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank and Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.

United return to the Premier League with a home game against Chelsea on Sunday before meetings with three of the current bottom sides in Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Everton next month.

They also have two Europa League games against PAOK and Bodo/Glimt. They currently sit 21st in the league stage of the new-look European competition after failing to win any of their first three games.

Additional reporting: Laurie Whitwell

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Why Amorim?

Analysis by senior data analyst Mark Carey

Ruben Amorim is a manager who has been linked with a number of jobs in recent months and you can see why the 39-year-old is in demand.

Amorim led Sporting to their first league title in 19 years in the 2021/22 season, followed that up with another win last season and have taken nine wins out of nine, with Sporting sitting pretty near the top of the Primeira Liga this season.

Even taking into account the imbalance of quality in the Primeira Liga, a team that statistically had one of the best attacks (chance creation, 95 out of 99) and the best defense (chance prevention, 97 out of 99), it shows that their manager has to be one have a positive effect.

Stylistically, Amorim's 3-4-3 – or more precisely a 3-4-2-1 – is based on high possession, flexible attacking approaches and a strong defensive base.

The arrival of striker Viktor Gyokeres last season led to a more transitional, direct attacking style (Patient Attack, 49 out of 99). It also highlights Amorim's ability to maximize his style by adapting to his players' abilities.

Amorim has shown his desire to bring young talent into the first team – including Goncalo Inacio, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes and Ousmane Diomande – and has improved the quality of the squad with the resources at his disposal.

Bruno Fernandes moved to Manchester United just over a month before Amorim's appointment, but Mendes (to Paris Saint-Germain), Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur), Manuel Ugarte (also to PSG) and Joao Palhinha (Fulham ). ) are among the talented players that Amorim improved before being sold for a high fee.

Title winning credentials? Tick. Use young players? Tick. Improve individual player performance? Tick. There are reasons why Amorim is so sought after by Europe's elite.

(Photo above: Erwin Sscheriau/APA/AFP via Getty Images)