At least there isn't a recent example of Manchester United gazumping Manchester City to sign a 30-something Portuguese and it turning into an expensive farrago. The Sporting manager, Rúben Amorim, had been heavily touted to join City next summer should Pep Guardiola decide to stand down, particularly after the club's director of football, Hugo Viana, was named as successor to Txiki Begiristain at the Etihad Stadium. But yesterday Amorim emerged as the preferred candidate to replace Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman was dismissed.
Amorim is no Cristiano Ronaldo. When Ronaldo rejoined United in 2021 his playing career was winding down, and he was a terrible fit for either the rapid counterattacking favoured by Ole Gunnar Solskjær, or for the industrious pressing demanded by Ralf Rangnick. Managing to offload him relatively cleanly was probably Ten Hag's greatest achievement at Old Trafford. Amorim, by contrast, is a manager on the way up. The 39-year-old is arguably the brightest of the hugely promising generation of young Portuguese coaches and, as well as being linked with City, he was considered in the summer by Liverpool before they turned to Arne Slot.
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Denne historien er fra October 29, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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