Ruben Amorim appointed as the new manager of Manchester United, replacing Erik ten Hag

Manchester United has officially announced the hiring of Ruben Amorim as their new head coach. Amorim, who previously managed Sporting Lisbon, will be taking over from the recently dismissed Erik ten Hag.

Amorim, 39, quickly emerged as INEOS’ number-one target, with the club announcing their intention to activate his €10million (£8.4m) release clause on Monday.

The Portuguese coach, who previously attracted interest from Liverpool and West Ham, also has a 30-day notice period in his Sporting contract but United have paid a further €1m to release him from that early.

Amorim will, therefore, now start work at Old Trafford during the international break and will take charge of the team for the first time against Ipswich Town on November 24.

‘Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements,’ a statement from the club read.

‘He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.

‘Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football. Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP; the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years.

‘Ruud van Nistelrooy will continue to take charge of the team until Ruben joins.’

Amorim has enjoyed a remarkable managerial rise in recent years, progressing from third-tier side Casa Pia to the Portuguese top flight in just over a year.

Joining Sporting in 2020, he delivered the club’s first league title in 19 years in his first full season and repeated the feat in 2023, finishing 10 points ahead of second-placed Benfica.

This season, Sporting have won their first nine games and sit six points clear of Porto at the top of the table.

His immediate task at Old Trafford will be to spark an uptick in performances after a dire start to the season led INEOS to pull the plug on Ten Hag’s tenure.

The Dutchman appeared to be heading for the exit at the end of last season but was granted a stay of execution and a one-year contract extension after guiding the Red Devils to an unlikely FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

However, despite being backed handsomely in the summer with over £200million spent on new signings, Ten Hag’s failed to show signs of tangible improvements to start the season.

Heavy early-season defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham coupled with a disappointing start to the Europa League eventually brought to an end the Dutchman’s spell at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag’s former assistant, Rudd van Nistelrooy, took charge of the team on an interim basis for the first time against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

He will take charge of three further games – Chelsea in the Premier League, PAOK in the Europa League, and Leicester again in the league – before handing over the reins to Amorim.

His long-term coaching future at Old Trafford is currently unclear, with Amorim also keen to bring over some of his backroom staff from Sporting as part of the deal.

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