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Ruben Amorim is reported to be Manchester United's choice to be their new manager and they have moved quickly to make an appointment after sacking Erik ten Hag earlier on Monday.
Ten Hag was dismissed after United suffered their fourth Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday at West Ham, dropping to 14th in the table. They have won only one of their last eight games in all competitions.
Reports on Monday evening suggested the Old Trafford club were moving quickly to replace Ten Hag and were willing to pay a release clause to secure 39-year-old Amorim, whose Sporting Lisbon side top the Portuguese table.
Amorim has won two Portuguese titles and two League Cups with Sporting since joining the club in March 2020.
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In recent weeks he has been suggested as a future Manchester City manager with Sporting's Hugo Viana, a close friend, due to move to the blue half of Manchester as the club's new director of football next season.
Ten Hag was sacked in the wake of a controversial 2-1 defeat at West Ham. His assistant, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has taken charge on a temporary basis.
Appointed in April 2022, Ten Hag led United to two domestic trophies - the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
But the 54-year-old's job was the subject of speculation most of last season as United suffered a worst-ever eighth place Premier League finish and exited the Champions League at the group stage.
The Dutchman found himself firmly in the hot seat again this season in a woeful start to the campaign. United have won four of their 14 games in all competitions and endured damaging 3-0 losses against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
They have accumulated just 11 points from nine matches in the English Premier League and have three draws from three Europa League matches, all from winning positions.
"Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men's first-team manager," United said in a statement.
"Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited."
With British billionaire and INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe taking over football operations last season, the club initially stuck with Ten Hag to ensure continuity in the manager's position during a time of change.
But Sunday's 2-1 league loss at lowly West Ham United in which Ten Hag's side failed to capitalise on numerous chances only increased the media speculation that he would be sacked.
United finished last season with a surprise FA Cup final win over Manchester City and Ten Hag pointed to the team's numerous injuries to help explain their poor form.
He signed a new contract to extend his stay until 2026 and was given another chance to restore the 20-times English league champions to former glories.
United's woeful start to this season has come despite more than A$1bn being spent on new players since Ten Hag took charge ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
There was little surprise at Ten Hag's departure after such heavy investment produced such modest returns, the League Cup and FA Cup successes apart.
Sunday's loss was Ten Hag's 35th defeat from 128 games in all competitions. United won 70 of them and drew 23, leaving the Dutchman with a win ratio of 54.7%.
"I don't think anybody will be truly shocked after what happened yesterday (Sunday)," former United defender Gary Neville said of the latest loss.
"The fact they are in 14th is just unacceptable. You can't be 14th after nine games with the level of spending that has occurred, without being under significant pressure."
However, United skipper Bruno Fernandes posted his thanks to Ten Hag.
"Thanks for everything boss! I appreciate the trust and the moments we shared together, I wish you all the best in the future.
"Even knowing the last period hasn't been great from all of us I hope you fans can keep with you the good things the manager has done for our club!"
United's next game is at home to Leicester in the League Cup on Wednesday.
The candidatesRuben Amorim: The 39-year-old joined Sporting Lisbon in 2020 and has won two Portuguese titles. His side are unbeaten so far in this year's Primeira Liga and top the table with maximum points from nine matches. Amorin was previously linked to Liverpool and West Ham in England.
Ruud van Nistelrooy: Interim boss after being put in temporary charge at Old Trafford. The 48-year-old scored 150 goals in 219 appearances for the Red Devils. He joined Ten Hag's coaching team this season after previous coaching posts with the Netherlands and PSV Eindhoven.
Xavi: Enjoyed an impressive three-year spell with former club Barcelona before leaving in May. The 44-year-old was appointed in November 2021 and steered the side from ninth place to runners-up that season. They were league champions during Xavi's first full campaign in charge and won the 2023 Spanish Super Cup.
Thomas Frank: The 51-year-old has impressed at Brentford, where he took charge in October 2018, having previously served as assistant manager. Frank led the Bees to promotion to the English Premier League in 2021 and the Dane has established the west London club in the top flight.
Gareth Southgate: The former England manager had been the bookmakers' favourite for the United job. Southgate's only previous club management role ended in the sack at Middlesbrough in 2009, but he led England to a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final as well as reaching successive European Championship finals. Earlier this month, though, Southgate said he has ruled himself out of a return to coaching for the next year.
Edin Terzic: The German-Croatian coach spent two seasons in charge of Borussia Dortmund before resigning in June. Dortmund were Bundesliga runners-up in the 2022-23 season and reached the final of last campaign's European Champions League, where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
with AAP
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