Ruben Amorim has been appointed as the new Manchester United head coach and will join on November 11, once he has fulfilled his obligations with Sporting.
Amorim has signed a contract until June 2027, with the option of a further year, and will take charge of his first United match at Ipswich on November 24, live on Sky Sports.
United have paid Sporting an extra €1m (£840,000) on top of his €10m (£8.4m) exit clause for an early release from his 30-day notice period.
He replaces Erik ten Hag who was sacked last month while Ruud van Nistelrooy will continue to take charge of the first team until Amorim joins.
United host Chelsea on Sunday, live on Sky Sports. It has not yet been decided if Van Nistelrooy will be part of Amorim’s coaching staff.
Sky Sports News understands Amorim was Man Utd’s top target, and the only coach they spoke to during this recruitment process.
Amorim is the first United boss to have the title of head coach rather than manager.
Who is Amorim?
A former Benfica and Portugal midfielder, Amorim retired as a player in 2017 and two years later took up his first managerial job at Braga.
The Portuguese then joined Sporting in March 2020, establishing himself as one of Europe’s most sought-after young coaches, twice guiding the club to the Primeira Liga title.
Amorim has also won the Taca da Liga – the Portuguese League Cup – on three occasions, twice with Sporting and once with Braga.
Explaining Man Utd’s thinking in appointing Amorim
Sky Sports News’ Melissa Reddy:
When Sporting parted with €10m (£8.4m) to recruit a head coach without a UEFA Pro Licence and with only three months of top-flight experience on his CV from Braga in 2020, it was termed “absolute insanity”.
The scathing reaction from the club’s fans and analysts in Portugal are still stored on message boards – the internet, after all, never forgets – and paints a sharp contrast to the sentiment now.
Back then, Sporting’s hierarchy were ridiculed for sanctioning such a big spend on an unknown quantity. “Another great deal by the board, €10m for unlicensed manager,” one sarcastic comment read.
This week, as Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag and turned at the speed of light to Amorim, that same figure was a lightning rod for Sporting’s decision-makers: how dare they set the fee so low for the biggest clubs in world football to steal their special one?
The 39-year-old will be priceless to United if he delivers what they are convinced he has the ability to: a transformation of tactical identity, personality and proper football enjoyment.
Read Melissa Reddy’s Ruben Amorim analysis
Why Sporting coach Amorim could be right for Man Utd
Sky Sports’ Adam Bate:
It has long been inevitable that Ruben Amorim would take one of Europe’s biggest jobs. Winning the title with Sporting in 2021 at the age of 36 all but guaranteed that. Repeating the feat last season only underlined his ability as a coach.
Sporting recognised that this was a special talent very early, famously paying a huge release clause after his spectacular start at Braga. They bet on his tactical mind, his fierce commitment as a player, but more than anything on the power of his personality.
In conversation with a series of Portuguese coaches, some of whom have pitted their wits against Amorim in his native country, we will explore his rise, what it is that makes him so impressive as a coach, and, crucially, whether this can be translated into his next job.
Read Adam Bate’s Ruben Amorim analysis
Is Amorim the missing piece of the INEOS jigsaw?
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“It’s the first time Man Utd have had a ‘head coach’, which tells you more about modern football than Man Utd.
“Most managers are head coaches now. The kind of people who are buying clubs like to have a modern structure in place, directors of football, sporting directors, recruitment directors.
“The head coach is just another hire, but of course when it comes to the football side of the operation, is the most important hire.
“He may prove to be the final piece of the jigsaw when it comes to INEOS’ rebuilding of the club. We’ve seen a new CEO, new sporting director, new technical director.
“Amorim is their man. He’s their first head coach hire. They decided to stick with Ten Hag in the summer, and looking back they’d say that was wrong.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing, INEOS realised they made a mistake and that they were in danger of missing out on the top four. They realised they had to make a quick change, and credit to them – they’ve done just that.”
Amorim’s first games: A fast start and then decisive moments?
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:
When Ruben Amorim arrives at Carrington on November 11 to begin work as Man Utd boss, the hope will be the team has momentum and confidence from their Premier League home game with Leicester the day before.
Certainly, the Portuguese will want to hit the ground running in terms of performances and results to get off on the right foot – who can forget Erik ten Hag’s start, when a 2-1 loss at home to Brighton was followed by a 4-0 humbling at Brentford?
For Amorim, his first fixtures against Ipswich (a), Bodo/Glimt (h) and Everton (h) offer the opportunity to start positively.
But there are big tests and crucial moments arriving soon after Amorim settles in. Arsenal away on December 4 will be an early indicator of where his new side are at. A week and a half later it is the Manchester derby at the Etihad. It doesn’t get much trickier than this.
That game away to Man City is then followed by a midweek Carabao Cup quarter-final at Tottenham. Erik ten Hag delivered two trophies in two seasons. This will be the chance for Amorim – a three-time league cup winner in Portugal – to swiftly take United into a semi-final.
Those early games could set the tone for what is to come in the remainder of the season – a fast start feels crucial.
Whats happens to Ruud?
Sky Sports News’ Melissa Reddy:
“Ruud van Nistelrooy has said he’s happy to remain in interim charge for as long as is needed by the club. He was told it was short term, and that the club had a candidate they wanted to secure quickly.
“I asked Ruud van Nistelrooy if he believed he would remain at the club when the new manager was appointed and he said his contract is to be the assistant manager of Man Utd and that’s what his role will revert to when his interim period ends. He wants to remain at Old Trafford and help rebuild the club.
“He did admit, though, there will need be a conversation when Amorim is in post. We know that Amorim wants to bring his own staff with him, and two are long-serving assistants, so what does that actually mean for van Nistelrooy? Will he be kept on? Or will United have to pay compensation to release him from his contract?”
Ten Hag signed 70 per cent of Man Utd squad
Sky Sports’ Adam Smith:
Nearly three-quarters of the current Manchester United squad comprises players signed by Erik ten Hag.
Amorim inherits a side with 19 of the 27-player squad either signed or promoted into the first team by the Dutchman.
Ten Hag splashed £616.8m on signings during his time at Old Trafford – only Chelsea outspent the club during that period.
Nearly half of that money was spent on players Ten Hag had managed previously.