Why Ruben Amorim might not be Manchester United manager vs Chelsea
Man Utd are working on a deal to appoint Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim as the successor to Erik ten Hag.
Ruud van Nistelrooy could be given at least two opportunities to manage Manchester United on an interim basis as talks continue over a deal to appoint Ruben Amorim as their new head coach.
United identified the Sporting boss at their top candidate for the vacancy following the decision to sack Erik ten Hag and it is understood the 39-year-old has already verbally agreed to take the position.
It was revealed on Tuesday that United have already notified the Portuguese club of their intention to pay Amorim's €10m release clause. However, even if they reach an agreement to bring Amorim to the club, there is still work that needs to be done to bring his backroom staff to Old Trafford as well, with Sporting holding out for further compensation for his assistants.
As it stands, Amorim plans to take charge of Sporting when they host Estrela da Amadora on Friday night, with that game seen as a better way to say farewell to his current club rather than their lowkey League Cup win over Nacional on Tuesday night.
If that proves to be the case, Amorim could be in a position to take charge of United as early as the weekend, though it seems unlikely he would want to be thrown straight into the hot seat for a high-profile clash against Chelsea when he won't have conducted any training sessions with the players, particularly if he does indeed plan to significantly alter their formation and tactical approach.
With a further two home matches against PAOK and Leicester City to come next week, they would appear to be the better opportunity to get his regime off to a winning start.
United would also most likely prefer to formally announce Amorim as their new head coach with an official press conference at either Old Trafford or Carrington, something they would struggle to do this weekend if indeed he takes charge of Sporting for a final time on Friday night. It means Van Nistelrooy could still be in interim charge when United hold their pre-match press conference for the Chelsea fixture on Friday.