Manchester United
Premier League • England
Why Man Utd chose Ruben Amorim over Xavi revealed, as sources detail what type of manager they’re getting
Why Manchester United moved for Ruben Amorim despite holding talks with Xavi has emerged, while sources have shed light on exactly what type of manager United are hiring in Amorim.
Man Utd CEO, Omar Berrada, led a four-man delegation to Spain last week to hold talks with former Barcelona boss Xavi. The writing was clearly on the wall for Erik ten Hag who was subsequently sacked in the wake of United’s crushing 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
But rather than ramp up their interest in Xavi, Man Utd have instead installed Ruben Amorim of Sporting CP as their primary target.
The 39-year-old is open to making the switch and various reports claim a verbal agreement has been struck between the manager and club. United are fully prepared to pay the €10m release clause it’ll take to spring Amorim.
With Amorim’s appointment inching closer, The Daily Mail have revealed why Man Utd pulled the plug on Xavi.
They suggested two reasons are in play, with the first being Xavi’s unwillingness to accept a new role mid-season. The second issue related to Xavi’s family and the inconvenience of moving to England at this moment.
The report added there is a ‘family issue that would make it difficult for him to move to England before the end of the campaign.’
With the Xavi plans shelved, Man Utd have put their eggs in Amorim’s basket and a second report from The Mail has revealed details on exactly the type of manager they’re hiring…
Insiders lift lid on Ruben Amorim
Amorim’s managerial idol is Jose Mourinho and the 39-year-old previously stressed Mourinho is his reference point and not Pep Guardiola.
‘My reference has always been Mourinho,” responded Amorim when asked the question, though he did admit Guardiola is currently the No 1 manager in world football.
The report then cited a former colleague of Amorim who requested to remain anonymous given he now works for another club.
‘The best word to describe Ruben is genuine,’ said the source. ‘He values relationships, makes everyone in the building feel heard from the team captain to office staff – it creates a winning mentality.
‘He is loud but never aggressive or rude. He is a leader and makes everyone feel like they are working with him, not below him. But his best (trait) is communicating, making everyone feel united and trusted.’
Portuguese football expert, Tom Kundert, added: ‘He’s a brilliant communicator. He’s very open in press conferences, happy to respond to all questions – even the stupid ones – with an informative answer.
‘And he also retains a remarkably jovial demeanour, even when the pressure is on. He’s one of these coaches who fosters a superb spirit among the whole squad, and that is no doubt the fruit of his communicative approach.
‘In five years as a coach, I cannot remember him ever criticising any of his players in public and I cannot recall one news story of an unhappy player. When things do go wrong for Sporting, which has not happened much under Amorim, he shifts all the focus on himself.
‘He will say things like, “We lost because Sporting have a coach who is still inexperienced and is learning the trade and who got it wrong today”. Overall, he has a very affable personality and generally does a great job at swerving any controversies or spats with rival managers.’
Amorim has lifted five major honours since taking charge at Sporting in 2020. Two of those were Primeira Liga titles, with Sporting’s success in in the 2020/21 campaign their first league title in 20 years.
Amorim primarily deploys a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation that per The Athletic, ‘is built on high possession, flexible attacking approaches and a strong defensive foundation.’
The shackles were loosened to a degree last season following the arrival of star striker Viktor Gyokeres from Coventry City. Gyokeres notched an incredible 43 goals in 50 matches and has upped his ratio to a goal per game under Amorim this season (14 goals in 14 appearances).
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Ruben Amorim to Man Utd latest
As mentioned, various sources including Florian Plettenberg, Ben Jacobs and Fabrizio Romano have stated Man Utd and Amorim have verbally agreed or at the very least partially agreed a deal.
Man Utd are fully open to paying the €10m fee it will take to spring Amorim from his Sporting contract.
His deal at Sporting contains a three-tiered release clause, with Portuguese clubs required to pay €30m, most European clubs due to pay €20m and seven of the biggest teams required to pay the smallest fee of €10m.
Portuguese outlet A Bola claim Man Utd fall into the third category, meaning they’ll only need to pay €10m to spring Amorim from his deal in Lisbon. The other six clubs in that category are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City and Juventus.
Elsewhere, talkSPORT stated Amorim is in line to more than treble his existing salary, believed to be £2.15m per year.
However, The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson revealed it is currently “unlikely” that Amorim will be in place in time for Man Utd’s Premier League clash with Chelsea on Sunday.
United face Leicester in the EFL Cup on Wednesday before attention turns to Chelsea. Per Jackson, interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is likely to remain in charge for both of those matches.