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