RUBEN AMORIM has been appointed Manchester United manager.
Amorim, 39, is confirmed as Erik ten Hag’s successor following his sacking on Monday.
Ten Hag had found himself under mounting pressure at Old Trafford and finally saw his time with United come to an end after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham last weekend.
Now Portuguese tactician Amorim has replaced him in the hot seat at the Theatre of Dreams, becoming the club’s first ever head coach on a contract until 2027, with the option of an extra year.
The club released a statement which reads: “Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements.
“He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.
“Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football. Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP; the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years.
“Ruud van Nistelrooy will continue to take charge of the team until Ruben joins.”
Amorim has left his position as manager of Sporting to take the role with United after the Red Devils paid up his £8.3m release clause to lure him to the Premier League.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and execs at United made Amorim their number one target from the off and have now secured their man.
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It hasn’t been simple though, with United and Sporting locked in negotiations about when Amorim was able to join the Manchester club.
Sporting have managed to keep hold of their man until the international break, meaning he will still take charge of the Liga Portugal side for their Champions League clash with Man City on Tuesday.
His start date at Old Trafford has been confirmed as November 11, with his first game away at Ipswich on November 24.
United are understood to have paid an extra £900,000 to get him early rather than waiting a further three weeks.
Amorim has been highly sought this year following his success with Sporting.
Premier League rivals Liverpool were close to appointing the Lisbon gaffer before making the decision to bring in Arne Slot instead.
While he also held talks with West Ham over the summer and had been rumoured to be on a list of candidates to take over from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Amorim has been in charge of Sporting since 2020, leading the Green and Whites to two league titles and two Portuguese cups in that time.
While he has put the club in a superb position this term, sitting top of the Primeira Liga table – winning every league game they’ve played and conceding just twice.
He has a different prospect on his hands in Manchester with United currently 11th in the league after losing more games than they have won in the league this season.
However, interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy got the Red Devils firing once again in United’s first game of the post-Ten Hag era.
United thrashed Leicester City 5-2 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night to book their spot in the competition’s quarter-finals.
Amorim is known for his high possession style and has always favoured a back three during his time as a manager.
It can be expected that he will try and maintain that winning formula as boss of United.
His sides have become synonymous with both strong defensive foundations and an array of different attacking approaches.
United could also splash another £4.1m to bring Amorim’s coaching staff to Old Trafford.
The Portuguese giants want extra cash to release three trusted members of the tactician’s backroom staff
Amorim wants to take Sporting’s assistant manager Adelio Candido, assistant coach Carlos Fernandes and goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital with him to Old Trafford.
While SunSport can reveal he also wants to sign Sporting’s £70m-rated Ousmane Diomande.
