Manchester United on Friday confirmed the appointment of Ruben Amorim as their next manager, with the Portuguese coach signing a two-and-a-half year deal with the Premier League club.
Amorim, though, will not take up his new role until November 11 and he will remain in charge of Sporting Lisbon for the next three games, starting with their Portuguese Primeira Liga match at home to Estrela on Friday night. Ruud van Nistelrooy will remain as interim manager until Amorim starts overseeing games against Chelsea on Sunday, then PAOK and Leicester City. The Dutchman oversaw a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday.
Amorim's first game set to be away to Ipswich Town on November 24, after the next international break. He will make his Old Trafford bow against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League four days later in a tournament where United have drawn their opening three games.
And that clarification has arrived although it has also confirmed that the Portuguese will have to wait before starting his new job and is expected to lead Sporting into Tuesday's Champions League clash with Manchester City and the trip to Braga next weekend as well as the Estela game.
Amorim replaces Erik ten Hag in the hot seat after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday following a troubled start to the season that sees united languishing down in 14th in the Premier League, 13 points behind leaders Manchester City after nine games.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as head coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements,” the club said in a statement.
“He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.
“Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football. Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP, the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years.
“Ruud van Nistelrooy will continue to take charge of the team until Ruben joins.”
Amorin had promised clarification on his Sporting future after Friday's game after the Portuguese club revealed that United had agreed to pay the €10 million release clause required to prise the 39-year-old out of his current role. “It is a negotiation between two clubs,” he said on Thursday. “It's never easy. Even with the clauses it's never easy, they have to talk.”
He will become the sixth permanent United manager since Alex Ferguson left in 2013 after David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag.
He has an impressive recor4d at Sporting since joining the club in March 2020, taking charge of 228 matches, enjoying a win percentage of 70.61 per cent and guiding the club to two Primeira Liga titles and two League Cups.
Ahead of this weekend's game against Chelsea, Van Nistelroooy, a former PSV Eindhoven manager, had made clear that his goal was to remain part of United's coaching staff after his stint as interim coach comes to an end.
“I felt that I was called upon to help the club forward in the situation and obviously it was difficult that Erik had to leave.” said the ninth highest goalscorer in United's history with 150 goals.
“It was very disappointing, obviously with mixed feelings, but after that you have to switch the mindset to win because in the end there's 75,000 people waiting and celebrating, and millions watching at home.
“I think that's what we try to do and same for Sunday at least, then after that we'll see.
“As an assistant, I came here to help the club forward, and I'm still very motivated to do so in any capacity as an assistant and now as an interim manager, and after that I go back to my assistant contract that I have here for this season
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