RUBEN AMORIM kick-started his career playing in a trial with BROKEN ARM – as his friend backed the coach to succeed at Manchester United.
The 39-year-old has replaced Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hotseat after being prised away from Sporting Lisbon.
Amorim started his managerial career with Casa Pia before joining Braga and later Sporting.
As a player, he first came through the Belenenses ranks before a nine year spell with Benfica.
Amorim had actually been released from Benfica’s academy as a youngster and was given a lifeline by Belenenses.
But his trial at the Lisbon-based club could hardly have got off to a worse start as he played on with a broken arm.
Old friend Bruno Simao told BBC Sport: “I said to Ruben: ‘Why don’t you come and play with me again at Belenenses?’
“I said I’d speak with the coach to fix up a game so he could watch him.
“Ruben replied: I cannot play, I broke my arm.'”
“I said: ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure the coach will see you and you will stay with us.'”
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.
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The trial game was arranged, with Amorim playing despite the injury.
Simao revealed: “He was centre-back and the coaches told all the players: ‘Take care of him because of his arm’.
“He came through the game and stayed with us at Belenenses. That was the start of his professional playing career.”
Amorim had a 13-year playing career but retired in 2017 to focus on coaching, spending a week with Jose Mourinho at United the following year.
He has led Sporting to two league title wins and emerged as one of the most sought-after coaches in the world.
Old friend Simao still keeps in touch with Amorim and backed him for success in Manchester.
He said: “We keep in touch. Ruben is godfather to my eldest daughter Carolina, who is 18. Even yesterday I messaged him about going to Manchester United.
“It’s a good opportunity for him to go there as a coach. They are not in a good moment but it’s still a top club and for Ruben it will be wonderful.”
