Ruben Amorim’s press conference in full as he responds to questions about Man Utd job after Sporting match
RUBEN AMORIM was quizzed by reporters last night about reports linking him with the Manchester United job.
The Portuguese tactician, 39, oversaw a 3-1 win for his Sporting CP side over Nacional in the Portuguese League Cup on Tuesday.
However, the main post-match topic was not the victory but rather the ongoing talks for him to replace Erik ten Hag as Man Utd’s new permanent manager after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday.
The Red Devils have already indicated to Sporting they are willing to match Amorim’s £8.3million release clause – though they have now been told to cough up another £4m for his staff as well.
Two-time league winner Amorim was asked about the decision and the progress of the move.
Below you can see the Special One 2.0’s full press conference following the match last night:
Your analysis of the match and Manchester United’s interest
“There was a statement from the club and that is the only thing there is at the moment.
“There is interest from Manchester United, there is the payment of a clause and then, when I have something more concrete, I will come here and take over the situation, because it is always my choice.
“As long as you don’t have everything decided, for one side or the other, it’s not worth saying anything, it’s just going to create noise.
“I just say that I will take on whatever I want to do, as I have always done.
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“Regarding the game, it was a strange game. A strange environment, there is no escaping it. We wanted to manage players. We played a good game, we lacked some joy and aggressiveness.
“We scored another goal from a free-kick. A fair victory in a strange game, on a strange day. Now it’s time to think about Estrela da Amadora.
“I would ask you to explain the issue of the €10 million clause for world-class clubs. Was it requested by you?
“I’m not going to be talking about my contract, that’s between me and Sporting. I won’t be scrutinizing.
“All clauses are on the coach’s side and Sporting’s. What I can say is that everything is in the statement.”
Rúben, you said, very recently, that you were in an enviable position, with enormous stability. Isn’t all this strange for someone who has so much stability?
“No, stability is not everything in life. We will have time to talk about it and I will explain what I have to explain.
“But in relation to the words I said, none of my previous words prevent something from happening, at any time, in the world of football.
“The only time I missed what I said was on the day of the plane. For the rest, I have maximum stability, I’m very happy here, I really like my staff. And one thing does not prevent the other.
“So let’s see what happens in the future. But I did not fail to keep my word. There was a club that showed interest in the coach. I don’t control these things.
“What I control is the decision that takes place from now on. And I will be here to tell you what I want to do and how it will be done. At this time, no decision has been made.”
Ruben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man Utd
WHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.
Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.
But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.
Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.
He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers.
The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.
And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.
Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.
Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.
United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.
For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for.
What is missing for this deal to be confirmed? Can you promise that you will be on the bench against Estrela da Amadora?
“I can’t tell you anything more than this. There is an intention of the club. They are in talks with Sporting. Then, it will also be my decision.
“But everything is time and I will explain everything that happens next. To be talking now is just creating noise and confusion even more for the situation.
“There is a statement from the club, there is this situation, it will be resolved and I will assume what I have to assume. Today I can’t say more. I can’t promise anything.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be in training. I’m going to prepare the game against Estrela da Amadora and that’s my focus.”
Has Rúben Amorim already entered into negotiations with Manchester United? Have you talked to the squad?
“There was no conversation. Before the set pieces, there was a ‘get the elephant out of the room’. Before the statement came out, I explained to the players what was going on.
“At the moment nothing more is happening than that. Otherwise, there is nothing more to comment.”
Didn’t the players ask you to stay? Can you give hope to the fans about not leaving? If you leave and return to Portugal, will you only coach Sporting?
“If I haven’t even left Sporting yet… What I say is that, when everything is decided, I will come here to explain everything. At this moment, everything I can say to a Sporting fan… It is obvious that they are revolted about the situation.
“Because they have a lot of affection for me. They believe a lot in my work. And love is very close… It’s not really hateful. But we know what football is like. I realize that.
“People have to feel what they have to feel at this moment, I have nothing to say about it and I think it’s perfectly natural. What I am saying is that now I cannot say anything definitive or definitive.
“And I’ll be able to say that. If I have the opportunity, and I should, I’m sure I will, I’ll explain here, step by step, why I decided one thing or another. I don’t want to give hope to anyone, nor stop giving hope.
“What I say is that there was the club’s situation. The communication had to come out on this day that there is a game. The feeling in the stadium that Pedro had, I had.
“I can see that my players, when they go to a lecture, are not the same. This is part of our life and we know what these situations are like. We have been through in the past.
“What I say is that a club has appeared that wants to pay my clause. And I don’t control that. When the plane came, I might not have caught the plane. It’s true.
“I thought the championship was already won. I couldn’t say that at the time, but now I do. In this situation, there are things that I do not control.
“What I control is that I’m going to say and I’m going to explain everything here. And I’ll explain my decision. That’s it. But I need to have everything defined. Players do not need to make any requests.
“I know what the players want. I know what the players feel. Now, it’s time to get ready to work.”
Ruben Amorim leaves Sporting on a high
By Charlie Wyett
RUBEN AMORIM would have preferred to leave Lisbon in a blaze of glory after winning a third Primeira Liga title.
Yet football does not work like that. And in what was surely his final game before taking charge of Manchester United, Amorim prepared to say his goodbyes at a half-empty Estadio Jose Alvalade in a League Cup quarter-final against Nacional.
Sporting won 3-1 thanks to second-half goals by captain Morten Hjulmand and Viktor Gyokeres, who scored two.
Luis Esteves pulled back for Madeira-based Nacional.
The stadium will be a good deal more lively on Tuesday when Manchester City are here for a Champions League match — although Amorim should by then have his feet firmly under his desk at Old Trafford.
Liverpool and Aston Villa were both interested in Europe’s most sought-after coach. Even City could have been a possible destination post-Pep Guardiola.
Yet the United job is one Amorim, 39, could not turn down — even if not everyone saw it that way at Sporting last night.
There is clearly a huge split in the Portuguese club’s fan base over their coach leaving at this stage of the season with many believing he should have seen the job through.
Yet Amorim, along with the three-man coaching team who are expected to follow him, leaves a club in a much better state than when he arrived here in 2020.
Inside the stadium, there was applause — albeit muted — when his name was read out before the game along with the line-ups.
And there did not appear to be any jeers when Amorim shuffled out from the tunnel awkwardly towards the dugout.
So, while his departure is hard to take for some, none of the fans will forget his legacy.
This is a club which is back as the dominant force in Portugal. Even this term, Sporting have won their first nine league games, scoring 30 goals and conceding just two.
They are also eighth in the Champions League table, which is one hell of an effort.
In contrast, Lisbon was not exactly hit by League Cup fever last night.
Amorim made lots of changes, which saw Sporting’s star man Gyokeres, the former Coventry striker, start on the bench.
There was, however, a first appearance in six weeks for former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards.
He is certainly one player who has been transformed by Amorim since arriving at the club from Vitoria in 2022 and will be sorry to see the coach leave.
While he changed his team, Amorim stuck with his tried and trusted formation of a back three.
It will certainly be something Manchester United’s fans will have to get used to over the coming months.
But looking at the Premier League table, none of them will be complaining about the change.
Didn’t Manchester United talk to you before paying the clause? Do you want to go or not? Can’t sign now for the end of the season?
“This is my stuff. Whether I want to go or not, that’s the decision we’re talking about here. I believe that at the beginning of the season I had spoken to the players, with some players to stay.
“I don’t get involved in the players’ lives. Now, I talk to the players because I am Sporting’s coach. I want to keep the group well. I spoke with the management. How are we going to manage the squad.
“But no doubt if I leave, they will be disappointed in me. And sad with me. But it’s part of life. That happened in Braga. When I came from Braga, from Braga’s stability to here, that happened a bit.
“And they were a bit disappointed. Because they really believed that we were building something special. But then things happen that change people’s lives. It is a difficult situation.
“I can’t give more than that. I’m not going to tell you if I want to go or not. I understand that the players are even disappointed. Sad. But I have to live with it.
“And the important thing is that we reach the end and we know how to explain everything. People understand it or not. The important thing is to show your face and explain it. And this I will do.”
Don’t you feel that you are leaving for a club that has too much instability?
“When I have something to say, I’ll have time to answer that question. Therefore, I will explain everything. Because I like to do it, because it’s easier, because the players deserve it, because the fans deserve it.
“And whatever the decision, I will be here to say that I cannot comment on that question. That would be taking steps forward, which makes no sense at the moment.
What can weigh on the exit? Don’t you feel like you can harm the project? Don’t you feel that players, like Gyokeres, who said they stayed because of the coach, can get upset?
“First, no player was offered the clause. And that doesn’t change. There is no more stability than that. It’s easy to say, only someone leaves here because of the clause.
“Then, it wasn’t Viktor who said that. He was Viktor’s agent. They are different people. I will not be talking about the decision or non-decision. I’ll explain everything.
“What will force one way or the other, that doesn’t matter now. I’ll explain everything.
“Now, speaking of that part, the club only lets assets be sold in the middle of the season, it seemed to me, it was always that rule, by the clause.
“No player had proposals for the clause. None. In this respect, the project is not weakened because the rules remain. And the coherence remains.”