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SPORTING LISBON manager Ruben Amorim is reportedly in line to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
Ten Hag was sacked by the Red Devils on Monday following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
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GettyRuud van Nistelrooy subsequently took over as interim boss while United chiefs began the search for a permanent successor.
But ex-Portugal international Amorim has already emerged as the club’s top target.
And he is said to be keen to accept the job.
Amorim’s potential move to Old Trafford could pave the way for a top striker to join United.
Once settled in to his job, the 39-year-old could attempt to lure Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres to Manchester.
The Sweden international has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea have all expressed an interest in signing the former Coventry star.
But Amorim’s presence could attract him to Old Trafford instead.
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Gyokeres enjoyed a prolific campaign with Sporting Lisbon last season, scoring 43 goals in 50 appearances.
The 26-year-old has carried that impressive form over to this term with 14 goals in the same number of outings.
'I was expecting this' - What Ruben Amorim said about Man Utd job links
RUBEN AMORIM has responded to being linked with a move to Manchester United.
The Sporting Lisbon coach, 39, is reportedly closing in on a deal worth £8million to become Erik ten Hag’s successor.
Just hours after Ten Hag’s dismissed on Monday morning, it emerged Man Utd chiefs were in talks with Amorim as they zero in on the Sporting boss.
But the ex-Braga coach remained tight-lipped on negotiations when quizzed by the media.
He said: “I was already expecting this question [about Man Utd].
“Obviously I’m not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I’ll always have to comment.
“I’m very proud to be Sporting coach, that’s all.”
And, just last month, Amorim insisted Gyokeres is worth at least £83MILLION.
He said: “Viktor is a great player, and I believe he is worth €100 million.
“Particularly, Sporting, along with president Frederico Varandas and sporting director Hugo Viana, believes he is worth that amount.
“Therefore, that is the price; anyone wanting to sign him will have to pay €100 million.”
Having publicly put a huge price tag on the striker, it could be difficult for him to facilitate a transfer if he does become the next United boss.
Since taking over in 2020, Amorim has won 170 of his 237 matches in charge of Sporting.
He was questioned about his future during a press conference on Tuesday and explained: “I was already expecting this question [about Man Utd] and obviously I’m not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I’ll always have to comment.
“I’m very proud to be Sporting coach, that’s all.”
Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
SunSport’s DAVE KIDD explains what’s wrong with all the potential candidates to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would also have been a popular and gettable option – but England got in there first.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
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