Man Utd eye Amorim as Ten Hag’s successor

Manchester United are reportedly in discussions with Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim to take over as manager after the club parted ways with Erik ten Hag.

The decision to sack the Dutchman came after a poor season start, with United sitting 14th in the Premier League and suffering a fourth loss in nine games, the latest being a 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday.

Despite heavy spending in the transfer market, United have managed just one win in their last eight games across all competitions.

Former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, previously on Ten Hag’s coaching staff, has been appointed interim manager.

British media reports indicate that United are keen to bring in Amorim, the 39-year-old Sporting Lisbon coach regarded as one of Europe’s brightest young managerial talents. According to Sky Sports, United are prepared to meet Amorim’s release clause.

Amorim was also linked to Liverpool’s managerial role earlier this year after Jurgen Klopp’s departure, but Dutch coach Arne Slot ultimately took the position at Anfield.

The 54-year-old Ten Hag had been under scrutiny despite an FA Cup victory over Manchester City last season. Following United’s eighth-place league finish, co-owner Jim Ratcliffe retained Ten Hag and extended his contract to June 2026.

However, with little improvement this season, the West Ham loss marked the breaking point for the club’s management.

A club statement on Monday said: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.”

– Expensive signings –

Former Ajax coach Ten Hag, who joined United in May 2022, had fiercely defended his record in recent weeks after winning two trophies in his two full seasons in charge.

United ended a six-year wait for silverware by beating Newcastle in the 2023 League Cup final.

The Red Devils also reached the FA Cup final and finished third in the Premier League in an encouraging debut season for Ten Hag.

However, the wheels came off in his second season.

Injuries to key players, the lack of a meaningful impact from expensive signings like Brazilian forward Antony and Ten Hag’s failure to implement a clear playing style led to a number of embarrassing results.

United crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage while Bournemouth, Brighton and Fulham were among the teams to win at Old Trafford in the 2023/2024 campaign.

The implementation of a new sporting structure at United, spearheaded by Ratcliffe, saw widespread change over recent months off the field.

But Ten Hag’s surprise victory over Pep Guardiola’s City in the FA Cup final led to him receiving a stay of execution.

He was further backed in the transfer market with the signings of Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, taking the total spent in his reign to over £600 million ($778 million), nearly half of which went on former Ajax players.

Yet early hope this season evaporated as Liverpool and Tottenham coasted to 3-0 wins at Old Trafford in September.

– ‘Unacceptable’ –

Former United captain Gary Neville said Ten Hag had paid the price for an “unacceptable” league position.

“The big shock for me is how bad they’ve been with the new signings that have come in,” Neville told Sky.

He added: “You can’t be in 14th after nine or 10 games with the level of spend that’s occurred without being under significant pressure — and that’s what’s happened.”

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand compared Ten Hag to “a boxer getting hit and knocked down in the third round and never recovering and getting knocked out”.

Ex-England striker Alan Shearer said Ten Hag had been “a dead man walking” as soon as it was revealed United had talked to other potential managers in the summer.

For all the Dutchman’s faults, he oversaw just a small period of United’s more general decline since legendary former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Since the Scot’s departure, five permanent managers have now been dismissed without United even challenging for the Premier League title — a trophy they won 13 times under Ferguson.