Man Utd news LIVE: Amorim talks advanced with debut eyed after Ten Hag sacked

Manchester United’s talks with Ruben Amorim have advanced and the club are hoping to have the Portuguese in place in time for Sunday’s Premier League match against Chelsea.

Amorim wants to be Manchester United’s next manager and negotiations are ongoing over his coaching staff, the timing of his appointment, as well as his release fee with Sporting Lisbon.

Amorim is set to take charge of Sporting against Nacional in the Portuguese league cup on Tuesday night, in what is being viewed as potentially his last game for the club.

United first contacted the 39-year-old’s camp at the start of October – before the last international break – where they were initially expected to sack Erik ten Hag in a London meeting of the club’s hierarchy. Amorim was immediately open to the idea of managing United.

But club representatives came away believing there were two potential issues. One was that the coach’s preference was to leave Sporting at the end of the season and the other was the size of the clause, which could bring a fee of up to €20m.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of Manchester United’s Carabao Cup tie at home to Leicester City tomorrow, with the club then hoping that Ruben Amorim could be installed to oversee the Premeir League clash at home to Chelsea on Sunday.

There is then a further week before the November international break. But with home games against PAOK and Leicester City, it’s as kind a start as you could realistically ask for…

30 October: vs Leicester (H) – Carabao Cup

3 November: vs Chelsea (H) – Premier League

7 November: vs PAOK (H) – Europa League

10 November: vs Leicester (H) – Premier League

24 November: vs Ipswich (A) – Premier League

28 November: vs Bodo/Glimt (H) – Europa League

1 December: vs Everton (H) – Premier League

4 December: vs Arsenal (A) – Premier League

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Erik ten Hag believed a third trophy in as many seasons would have made Manchester United’s current campaign a success.

The Dutchman was sacked by the club on Monday following a poor start to the season having registered only one win in their last eight games across all competitions.

Ten Hag’s final game in charge came on Sunday, where United were beaten 2-1 by West Ham in the Premier League.

He leaves Old Trafford having won two trophies with the club, the League Cup in his debut season followed by the FA Cup in May.

Erik ten Hag’s sacking by Manchester United has been the biggest decision for club co-owner Jim Ratcliffe since he arrived in February but the fact that the club took so long to pull the trigger could go down as a major misstep in the Ineos era.

“I look at Ineos … did they back themselves into a corner with the way they handled stuff in the summer?” former United defender Rio Ferdinand said.

“Retrospectively, I think they’ll look back and go ‘you know we could have handled it differently, handled it better.'”

While Manchester United are optimistic, there are potentially some issues still to be resolved over Ruben Amorim’s release clause.

Sources close to the Portuguese side insist that United have to pay €20m to get the deal done – but there is a belief an agreement could be struck for €10m.

Ruben Amorim is said to be genuinely torn on leaving Sporting Lisbon so early into the campaign, and doesn’t want to be seen as someone who constantly departs jobs mid-season.

That already happened on leaving Braga to join Sporting in the first place, but the 39-year-old is nevertheless aware of the opportunity managing Manchester United represents.

Under Amorim, Sporting have made a 100 per cent start to the defence of their league title and sit three points above Porto in the table.

They’re also unbeaten in the Champions League with two wins and a draw from their first three matches of the league phase – sitting in a good position to qualify for the knockouts.

Ruben Amorim’s representatives floated the idea of agreeing a deal where he joins Manchester United at the end of the season – but the club’s new football leadership have been adamant they want Amorim to start as soon as possible.

Sporting, meanwhile, have already started considering alternatives, which speaks to the current state of discussions.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot expects to see Erik ten Hag back ont he touchline at a big club again soon after he was sacked by Manchester United.

Slot only met Ten Hag once after arriving at Liverpool and handed his compatriot a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

“He’s a Dutch manager so it makes it even harder for me, for us as Dutch people,” Slot said earlier today when asked about Ten Hag’s dismissal.

“Always your first thoughts are with the person. We are all in this job so we know that it can happen but, if it happens, especially because I know him a little bit and I know how much work he puts into it, then to get this news for him is of course a pity.

“But we also know, especially us coming from Holland, how well he did at Ajax and that he won two trophies over here so we will see him I think in the near future at a big club again.

“But at this moment for him and his family it’s, of course – tragedy is maybe a bit too much to say – but it’s a big disappointment.”

Pep Guardiola said he feels “sorry” for Erik ten Hag after his rival at Manchester United was given the sack – but backed him to come back stronger.

Guardiola dominated Ten Hag’s team in the Premier League but the Dutchman enjoyed perhaps his greatest victory as United manager over him when United won last season’s FA Cup final.

“I feel very sorry for him, it’s one of the best jobs in football,” Guardiola said on Tuesday lunchtime.

“There’s only us, it’s not teachers or architects or something like that, I wish him all the best and he will come back stronger.

“If the results aren’t good enough, you get sacked, no one is different, myself included.”