Man Utd transfer for Ruben Amorim to interchange Erik ten Hag as they intention to beat rivals City

Ruben Amorim has emerged as the frontrunner to take over at Manchester United following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal.

The 39-year-old has been approached about stepping into Ten Hag’s shoes but is also in the running to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City as Utd aim to steal a march on their cross-city rivals.

With two Portuguese league titles under his belt, Amorim is one of Europe’s most coveted young managers. This move by United could spark a tug-of-war with their local rivals City, who are waiting to see if Guardiola will depart when his contract expires at the end of this season.

No agreement has been reached yet. Brentford boss Thomas Frank is also on United’s radar, but Amorim is their top pick.

The Old Trafford bosses are devising a strategy to secure him before City does. Hugo Viana, Sporting Lisbon’s director of football, is set to join City in January, replacing Txiki Begiristain at the end of the season, and they hope Amorim will follow suit if Guardiola confirms his departure.

Ten Hag was given his marching orders on Monday after a two-and-a-half-year stint, leaving United languishing in 14th place in the Premier League with just three victories from their first nine matches. He was informed of his dismissal in a face-to-face meeting with United CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth at the club’s Carrington training ground, before the news was made public at 11.50am, reports the Mirror.

In a dramatic shift from previous support, Erik ten Hag has been given the boot by Manchester United after just weeks ago club bigwig Berrada claimed he had their “full backing”. United’s abysmal season start – including floundering in their Europa League get-go with three draws and not living up to their hefty £200million summer transfer splurge – left the United head honchos with “no excuses” but to hand Ten Hag his P45.

It was a “collective and unanimous” decision among the United brass to replace him, slotting former star striker and coach Ruud van Nistelrooy into the hot seat for now. With 18 months of his contract yet to tick away, it seems Ten Hag could pocket around £10million in compensation.

The 54-year-old Dutchman, who hopped on a private jet back to the Netherlands post-sacking, reportedly felt snubbed by Man United’s top brass for not publicly backing him amid a spate of injuries that derailed the squad’s performance. Even after pulling off a shock win against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe couldn’t muster a mention of Ten Hag in his celebratory message.

Brentford’s Thomas Frank was coy about his prospects, stating: “I’ve got a big responsibility to Brentford, their fans, the leadership, players, staff and I have one focus – to beat Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup.”

He added: “I’ve said many, many times, I’m very happy here. I think it’s one of the best clubs in the world. What happens in the future, who knows? But I’m very, very happy here. I always try to be as transparent as possible. I would repeat myself. I’m very happy here and I can see myself here for a long, long time.”

Not ruling out future moves, he mentioned: “I’ve also said that maybe if something comes up, an opportunity I’d like to try, okay, let’s see. But now? No. I’m very, very happy here.”

United skipper Bruno Fernandes took to Instagram to show gratitude to Ten Hag, saying: “Thanks for everything boss,” and expressing appreciation for the trust placed in him, wishing his former manager the best for what’s ahead.

“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!”