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Senior Writer, ESPN FC
- Mark Ogden is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @MarkOgden_.
Manchester United have agreed to a deal bringing Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim in to replace Erik ten Hag, but what type of manager are they getting?
In only his third senior job, Amorim, 39, guided Sporting to two Portuguese league titles after arriving from Braga in 2020. Prior to his appointment, the Lisbon giants had waited 19 years to end their title drought.
Usually favouring a defensive back three with attack-minded wing-backs, Amorim’s sides are attractive to watch. Starting play from the back and interchanging positions — with centre-backs even joining the buildup — Sporting are incredibly flexible and one of the most aggressive sides in Portugal without the ball.
Amorim was considered by Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and West Ham for their vacant managerial roles last season before he committed his future to Sporting at the end of last season. But now he has opted to test himself in the Premier League. So what can Man United expect?
A studious thinker
As a player, Amorim was seen as a studious, methodical thinker, enjoying a respectable career that saw him amass more than 100 games for Lisbon side Belenenses before rejoining Benfica, where he’d come through the youth ranks.
A tactically astute and technically gifted central midfielder who was particularly good at keeping the ball and building play from deep, he also proved valuable as a utility player, occasionally deputising at right-back. Though unusual for a top-level Portuguese footballer of his generation, he had to wait until he was 30 years old to move abroad, spending a season in Qatar at the tail end of a playing career that saw him win 14 senior international caps. — Karlsen
A coaching rise reminiscent of Jose Mourinho
Amorim’s rise as a head coach in Portugal is so spectacular it can only be rivalled by Jose Mourinho, who went on to great things in Serie A, the Premier League and LaLiga after winning the UEFA Champions League with FC Porto early in his managerial career in 2004.
In 2018, perhaps too eager to get his coaching career off the ground, Amorim was suspended months into his first job at third-tier Casa Pia as he was deemed to have taken an active role on the touchline without having the appropriate UEFA badges. Initially the club were threatened with a points deduction and Amorim was handed a 12-month ban from the dugout. Although the proposed punishment was eventually lifted, the young coach resigned, next taking a post with Braga’s B-side nine months later once he had the appropriate qualifications.
The job may have been designed for Amorim to gradually learn his trade, but those plans went out the window after three months as he was unexpectedly promoted to head coach of the Braga first team in December 2019. In 13 games, he led them to two wins against Porto (including a League Cup title), a double against Sporting CP, and an away win at Benfica for the first time in 65 years. The three-month spell convinced Sporting’s management that Amorim was a coaching prodigy and, controversially due to his playing career at rivals Benfica, the club moved swiftly to secure his services, paying his €10 million release clause in March 2020.
Sporting’s decision to pay a Portuguese record transfer fee for a manager was soon justified. In his first full season (2020-21) Amorim led the club to its first league title in 19 years and repeated the feat last season. This season, he has overseen nine league wins from nine games with 30 goals scored and only two conceded. — Karlsen
‘Nothing fake about him’
Mark Ogden says Manchester United want Sporting boss Rúben Amorim as their Erik ten Hag successor, and they hope to have him in before facing Chelsea on Sunday.
Amorim is detailed-oriented, which is how he is able to get his message across on the training ground. But one source close to the manager told ESPN that his willingness to learn and awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses are particularly useful.
Another source close to the manager highlighted his general likability and easy manner with other people. “I think the thing that impresses me the most about Ruben is that he’s genuine. There’s nothing fake about him. And everyone can feel that — players, other coaches, or the average person. He’s not big-headed or boastful in any way — just a nice person — and people trust him because of that.”
While niceness alone might not get you very far in football management, a quick glance at how Sporting operate as a unit indicates that he also possesses some authority to go with it. Similarly, his record in promoting young players (Gonçalo Inacio, Ousmane Diomande, Geny Catamo) or getting the best out of his squad players would never have materialised without a high level of empathy and understanding of human nature. — Karlsen
How Amorim ended up on Man United’s radar, and how they signed him
Manchester United had been ready to fire Ten Hag at the end of last season, following the team’s eighth-place finish in the Premier League, but a 2-1 win against Manchester City in the FA Cup final kept Ten Hag in a job, albeit after a two-week review period in the wake of the cup final.
United spoke to several managers at the end of last season, including Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi and Kieran McKenna. Gareth Southgate, then England manager, had strong internal support but was ruled out because of his determination to focus solely on his Euro 2024 commitments. Sources familiar with the situation have told ESPN that United “got pretty far down the road” with Tuchel before the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach backed out of the running, telling United he was not ready for a return to work after leaving Bayern in May and would instead wait until the autumn. Tuchel was named as England manager in October.
Jan Åge Fjørtoft speaks about Manchester United’s links with Sporting CP manager Rúben Amorim.
While Amorim was not on the short list at the end of last season, sources familiar with the situation said his credentials began to be assessed by United during the summer as part of contingency planning in the event Ten Hag, who had been given a one-year contract extension, failed to take the team forward. And after United lost 3-0 at home to Tottenham at the end of September, the Old Trafford hierarchy actively stepped up their research of Amorim — along with other coaches, including Xavi and former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic — as Ten Hag’s position became increasingly tenuous.
Sources around the team have told ESPN, however, that while the Spurs game raised alarm within United, a decision to fire Ten Hag was not made at that point. Instead, the team decided to make plans to replace him if the loss of form continued.
Omar Berrada, the United CEO whom they recruited from Manchester City last season, was a strong advocate for Amorim, team sources said, and he quickly became the favoured option because of his track record in Portugal, his communication skills and the relatively inexpensive £8.3 million release clause at Sporting. Discreet discussions with Amorim and other candidates continued during the October international break, and a decision was made to move for the Sporting coach following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham, which proved to be Ten Hag’s final game in charge. — Ogden
A 3-4-3 with aggressive pressing
Amorim has stayed loyal to a possession-based 3-4-3 (3-4-2-1) formation while occasionally fielding two central strikers. This unwavering allegiance to a set formation has seen him labelled a dogmatic coach — sources close to the manager told ESPN’s Mark Ogden that his insistence on a back three was one factor that may have cost him the Liverpool job in the summer — but his tactical concept is a well-drilled, collective approach born out of hours of meticulous work on the training ground. There may be some room for individualism, but first and foremost he expects tactical discipline and loyalty from his players.
Defence: Inviting the opposition to press high to open space in his midfield, Amorim wants his three centre-backs and goalkeeper to be comfortable on the ball in order to start attacks.
Midfield: He tends to prefer a balanced pair who are positionally cautious rather than impatient box-to-box types — though half of the duo is given the liberty of making deeps runs into the box.
Attack: Amorim has been known to field out-and-out wingers as wing-backs, with the emergence of 17-year-old Geovany Quenda this season a case in point. Up front, he favours something akin to a “double No. 10” to tuck in behind the central striker in order to invite combinations with his attacking wing-backs. The key, however, is to create movement and space around this striker, who tends to operate very centrally.
Some critics may point to an overreliance on goals from one player — Sweden international Viktor Gyökeres has scored 41 in 42 league games since joining Sporting in 2023 — but the head coach has also gotten double figures from more floating attackers such as Pedro Gonçalves, Francisco Trincão, and Pablo Sarabia.
Out of possession: Amorim turned Sporting into the most aggressive off-the-ball side in Portugal. With varied pressing structures and traps, the club quickly readjusts to defensive mode after losing the ball via well-rehearsed patterns which alternate depending on the position of the ball. In scenarios when a less-energetic approach is needed, the side usually drops back into a 5-2-3 low block, where five players are ready to attack once the ball is recovered. — Karlsen
Ranking the top 50 best men’s club managers in Europe
No. 16. RUBEN AMORIM, 39
Coaching acumen: 13/20
Style: 15/20
People management: 14/20
Communication: 14/20
History/achievements: 3/10
X factor: 7/10
Total: 66/100
In quotes
Man United captain Bruno Fernandes: “Since Coach Amorim arrived to Sporting they became one of the teams that play better and most consistent football. I think the signings have been right, and they are in a very good moment. They’ve won last year and this season have started leading in the standings. It’s a very well-prepared team,” he said at a news conference with Portugal earlier this month.
“Regarding Mr. Amorim, I spoke about him several times and I said that at this moment he is well-prepared because it is not easy to win titles at Sporting. Sporting was 20 years without winning trophies. Mr. Amorim came and won two and that proves his work has been good. Now, if he will be able to do the same in England or Spain or anywhere else? We’ll never know until he gets there but I’m sure that Mr. Amorim qualities are there in everyone’s eyes.”
How might Manchester United line up if everyone is healthy?
Is Amorim a good fit for Manchester United?
While it’s been proved time and again that bringing in a new manager offers no guarantees, there are plenty of signs that point to this being a highly intriguing appointment for a club in dramatic decline.
The most obvious topic is whether Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation is the immediate remedy to produce short-term results for Man United. While he might find himself short of ball-playing centre-backs (though having 18-year-old Leny Yoro back to fitness, estimated to return around Nov. 24, should help), the picture is not too grim with Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martínez, Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans.
The United stars who might suffer most are classic wingers Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo. But Amorim has used players like this before to great effect and with an improved work-rate and willingness to track back, a wing-back role might work for them, or they could be moved inside. Meanwhile, the likes of Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Noussair Mazraoui could thrive in a more advanced wing-back position.
The “ESPN FC” crew discuss whether Rúben Amorim is the right manager to turn Manchester United’s season around following the sacking of Erik ten Hag.
Whether Amorim can get 15-20 goals from Manchester United’s centre-forwards (Joshua Zirkzee, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund) is another question, but he needs to implement more structured attacking patterns than what has come before and teach them how to collectively break down low blocks. Though his floating double No. 10 roles could suit the likes of Fernandes, Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen, with Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo as the midfield pivot behind them.
Plus, could a Portuguese speaker with such a positive mindset help get the best out of the struggling Casemiro and Antony? The former could work well in the double pivot; the latter may be more productive as a “False No. 10” — but that may be a stretch.
Perhaps the most immediate challenge is to bring positivity and new energy to a club that have been a permanent building site for a decade.
Though the United fans have proved extremely patient, Amorim will know that talk of transition periods, solid work at academy level, culture building and “trusting the process” won’t suffice. The new manager has some outstanding skills and that should offer them some hope for the future. — Karlsen
Why didn’t Amorim end up at Barca/Liverpool?
Liverpool’s interest in Amorim during their search for a successor to Jurgen Klopp last season intensified following Xabi Alonso’s announcement that he’d be staying with Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen this season. With Alonso out of the running, Liverpool shifted their focus to Amorim and Arne Slot, who was then in charge of Feyenoord.
Amorim’s 3-4-3 philosophy was not regarded as a deal-breaker by the Liverpool hierarchy, who were impressed by the 39-year-old during discussions, but sources close to negotiations told ESPN that a close race between Amorim and Slot was settled in the Dutchman’s favour when Liverpool became aware of Amorim assessing options at other clubs. Club sources have said that Amorim’s public flirtation with West Ham, when he flew to London to speak to the club, was regarded by Liverpool as a play to put them under pressure to accelerate a deal and agree to a pay structure beyond what they had budgeted for. As a consequence, Liverpool moved instead to hire Slot.
Barcelona also had Amorim high on their list of Xavi replacements at the end of the 2023-24 season, but a combination of his release clause at Sporting and the potential cost of reshaping the club’s squad to suit Amorim’s tactical approach led Barca to hire former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Hansi Flick instead.
And although Amorim held face-to-face discussions with West Ham, who were planning to part company with David Moyes, the coach quickly made it clear that he would not be moving to the London Stadium and instead said he would stay at Sporting for at least one more season. — Ogden
Was Amorim ever on Man City’s radar as a Guardiola replacement?
Manchester City have insisted this week that Amorim was not lined up to replace Pep Guardiola, citing the coach’s tactical approach as one significant reason for their lack of interest. Also, perhaps more importantly, Guardiola is still in charge and the club hope to extend his stay beyond the expiration of his contract next summer.
Ultimately, the Amorim connection with City was rooted in the Premier League champions’ hiring of Hugo Viana as replacement for Txiki Begiristain, who will step down from his post at director of football at the Etihad at the end of this season. Viana, who spent four years in England as a forward with Newcastle United between 2002-06, has been director of football at Sporting since 2018 and he hired Amorim from Braga in 2020. The 41-year-old has also been credited with developing Sporting’s highly regarded scouting network which has seen them sign and develop players such as Gyokeres, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes and Ugarte, who signed for United this summer, a year after leaving Sporting for Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite his close connection with Viana, Amorim will not be heading to City. Instead, he has chosen to take his next step in the red half of Manchester with United. — Ogden