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| Manchester United Ruben Amorim new head coach. |
Manchester United have appointed Ruben Amorim as their new head coach. The 39-year-old Portuguese manager will join from Sporting Lisbon on November 11, having signed a contract that extends through June 2027.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who stepped in as interim manager following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, will continue overseeing United’s next three games.
Amorim becomes the sixth permanent manager for United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary tenure concluded with his 2013 retirement.
United described Amorim as “one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football” in their official announcement.
Sporting also confirmed United will pay €11 million (£9.25 million) to activate Amorim’s release clause.
Amorim’s first game in charge will be a Premier League match against newly promoted Ipswich on November 24, following the international break.
His debut at Old Trafford will take place in a Europa League match against Bodo/Glimt on November 28, followed by a league game against Everton.
The club will disclose Amorim’s coaching staff at a later date. Amorim, currently on a 14-game unbeaten streak with Sporting after losing to Porto in the Portuguese Super Cup in August, will lead his current side in a few final games before departing.
His last game in charge of Sporting will be on November 10 against his former club Braga.
Taking over a Manchester United team currently 14th in the Premier League and 21st in the Europa League standings, Amorim arrives with a strong reputation.
He began his managerial career in 2018 with Casa Pia in Portugal’s third tier, moving on to Braga’s B team and later the first team.
At Braga, he achieved notable success, including a Taca da Liga cup victory and Braga’s first away win against Benfica in 65 years.
Sporting signed Amorim after paying a record-breaking £8.5 million to release him from Braga, a decision that paid off when he led them to their first league title in 19 years in 2020-21, losing only one game after securing the title.
Amorim has often been compared to his compatriot Jose Mourinho, having even spent time at Old Trafford in 2018 when Mourinho was in charge.
This past April, Amorim met with representatives from West Ham about possibly replacing David Moyes but later apologized, calling the trip “a mistake.” Chelsea and Liverpool also considered Amorim for managerial roles before making alternative appointments.
Source: BBC
