Manchester United are yet to officially announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as manager, but the Sporting Lisbon boss says there is not much longer to wait.
The Portuguese coach is the leading contender to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked on Monday following the club’s dismal start to the campaign.
United have expressed an interest in paying Amorim’s £8.3m release clause but the move has been delayed, partly due to Sporting demanding around £4.5m for his backroom staff.
There is a further complication in that Amorim’s release clause includes a 30-day notice period, which means he theoretically could have to wait until December to manage United.
Amorim says there will be an end to the uncertainty on Friday, though, after Sporting’s league match with Estrela, which he will take charge of.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, he said, via Guillem Balague: ‘I know you want answers; after the game, everything will be clearer.
‘I said this in the other press conference. Right now, the focus is on Estrela. Regarding doing anything differently, I wouldn’t have because I didn’t control anything in the situation, so I couldn’t have done anything differently. As for delving into all those questions, after the game we’ll have time for that.
‘Tomorrow it will be clarified. There’s no war, much less a cold peace, because that’s not in our nature—neither mine nor the president’s. That will be clarified after the game. Now, the focus is on the game.
‘When there is a negotiation between two clubs, it is never easy, even with the clauses, they have to talk and tomorrow, after the game, everything will be very clear, so one more day. After the game tomorrow, decision made.’
While there have been predicatable negotiations over the move, the feeling is that Amorim will be announced as the new permanent Red Devils manager.
Leaving Old Trafford after Ruud van Nistelrooy guided the club to a 5-2 win against Leicester City in the EFL Cup during his first game as interim manager, INEOS and United director Sir Dave Brailsford appeared to let slip that a deal for Amorim has been completed.
Brailsford was leaving the stadium when he was probed by supporters for an update on the club’s pursuit of Amorim.
Brailsford replied: ‘Yeah it’s done. It’s done.’
United fans must now wait for the official announcement to come but clearly Amorim will not be ready to take charge of the team by Sunday when the Red Devils host Chelsea.
Sporting want him to remain in Lisbon for the next three matches. That would see Van Nistelrooy take charge of upcoming games against Chelsea, PAOK and Leicester City.
It’s unclear whether the Dutchman would retain a position within Amorim’s coaching set-up, although he has made it clear he would be keen to stay on.
‘It’s going to be a short job as an interim, that was communicated very clear and I was happy with that,’ Van Nistelrooy said on Thursday after the impressive win over the Foxes the previous night.
‘I felt I was called upon to help the club forward in this situation. Obviously, it was difficult that Erik had to leave, I was very disappointed, obviously with very mixed feelings about that.
‘But you have to switch the mindset to win because 75,000 people are waiting and celebrating and millions are watching at home. That’s what we tried to do, same for Sunday and then we’ll see.
‘I decided to come back here for a very important reason. I came as an assistant top help the club forward and I’m still motivated to do so in any capacity.
‘I go back to my assistant contract that I have here for this season and next, I’m very motivated to stay here and help the club forward, that’s my absolute goal.
“We will see but it’s a contract situation I’m in, and my desire to help the club forward. I can speak about my side of the story and when a new manager is signing and conversations take place we have to see how things develop.’
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