Romano gives Amorim to Man Utd ‘here we go’ as Ratcliffe ‘triggers’ £8.3m release clause

Jason Soutar

Sporting boss Ruben Amorim will reportedly replace Erik ten Hag as Man Utd manager after the club decided to pay his £8.3million release clause.

Man Utd confirmed the sacking of Ten Hag on Monday after suffering their fourth Premier League defeat in nine games at West Ham.

Ten Hag led the Red Devils to their worst finish in Premier League history last season but saved his job by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

The club’s new co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, reportedly spoke to several managers over the summer but ultimately ended speculation by extending the Dutchman’s contract.

Former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel and ex-England manager Gareth Southgate were reportedly top of Ratcliffe’s wishlist.

Lots of managers have been linked with Ten Hag’s job this season and following his sacking, Sporting boss Amorim quickly emerged as the club’s top priority.

There have been several reports since he was sacked on Monday lunchtime, with negotiations so advanced that there is a belief the 39-year-old will be in charge of Sunday’s match at home to Chelsea.

‘Ruben Amorim to Man Utd, here we go!’

The move appears to be all but completed after transfer expert Fabrizio Romano gave it the “here we go” treatment.

The Italian journalist wrote on X: “Manchester United are set to pay €10m exit clause for Rúben Amorim to become new manager, here we go!

“Sporting confirm formal communication received from #MUFC for Amorim to be appointed. Amorim has already said yes to Man Utd proposal and project.”

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Amorim has been a huge success at Sporting, leading them to the Portuguese league title in 2021 and 2024.

It has been reported that Ratcliffe has decided to ‘trigger’ the release clause to appoint Amorim, whose side have thrived in a 3-4-3 formation and the Portuguese head coach is ‘unlikely to change’ his philosophy, according to a separate report from The Telegraph.

The report claims that Amorim’s release clause has gone down from £12.5m to £8.3m and was considered before the appointment of Ten Hag in 2022.

Amorim has been pushing for the move following the sacking of Erik ten Hag and if a deal is closed quickly it is possible he will be in the United dug-out for Sunday’s Premier League home game against Chelsea.

The 39-year-old has emerged as United’s first choice after a series of talks in recent weeks with formal negotiations beginning on Monday.

Amorim, who speaks perfect English, is one of Europe’s most sought-after young managers and has long been on United’s radar. He was considered when they hired Ten Hag in 2022.

Last summer, Amorim’s release clause was €15 million (£12.5 million) but it has since been reduced per the terms of his contract. Amorim is a highly confident coach who has, previously, been wedded to a 3-4-3 formation and it will be interesting to see if he sticks with that should he join United. Sources say he is unlikely to change.

It is also claimed that Man Utd approached former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic.

United have also been considering the former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic who is out of work having left the German club in the summer despite leading them to the Champions League Final. He too speaks perfect English and has been approached.

Ten Hag was dismissed following a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth at the Carrington training ground on Monday morning. United will hire a head coach, under their new structure, rather than a manager which was the title Ten Hag held and fiercely guarded in the summer.