- Amorim is expected to take over at United following the sacking of Erik ten Hag
- He took charge of what could have been his final game with Sporting on Tuesday
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Ruben Amorim on Tuesday night confirmed he will take charge of training with Sporting on Wednesday, insisting a move to succeed Erik ten Hag at Manchester United is not finalised.
Earlier in the day Sporting released a statement confirming United’s plan to pay the €10million (£8.5m) release clause to buy Amorim out of his contract.
But after overseeing a ‘strange’ 3-1 League Cup win over Nacional, Amorim faced the media to reveal how close a switch to Old Trafford actually is.
‘Manchester United is interested, but it’s my choice,’ he said. ‘Until everything is decided, we won’t be making any noise. I have nothing useful to say. I will take on whatever I want to do, as I have always done.
‘I don’t want to fuel this issue. There is the club’s statement to the CMVM, apart from that we don’t know the details yet, we’ll see.
Ruben Amorim has insisted that ‘nothing is decided yet’ regarding his expected move to Manchester United
The Portuguese took charge of what is likely his final game with Sporting on Tuesday evening
He insisted that ‘nobody knows if it’s a farewell game’ despite United being willing to pay the release clause
‘I have always taken responsibility for my decisions and I will be here to do so, but when I am sure of things it will be easier.’
Amorim made a hasty exit at the final whistle, electing not to wave goodbye to supporters, many of whom were reduced to tears at news of his expected departure.
‘Nothing is decided yet,’ he doubled down. ‘I don’t know if it’s the farewell game or not.’
Amorim spent most of Tuesday holed up at the club’s training base in a bid to stay away from the cameras amid increased reporting of an imminent switch to Old Trafford, having emerged as Ineos’ No 1 target.
Locked away with his players, Amorim conceded he needed to address ‘the elephant in the room’ so they could focus on the cup quarter-final.
‘It’s difficult,’ he said of managing the dressing room. ‘It’s almost impossible, it’s football, there was an announcement and it happened on match day. That’s out of your control.
‘There was no talk of anything, it was just before the set pieces to get the elephant out of the room. Before the statement was released, I explained to the players everything that was happening. There is nothing more to say.
‘The atmosphere wasn’t perfect and what we did was do our job, without the same joy or clear head – and that was noticeable in the stadium.’
He added that ‘the atmosphere wasn’t perfect’ and his team didn’t have ‘joy or a clear head’
Fans have slammed his potential departure with some left in tears, and Amorim promised full transparency with the process
United officials have moved quickly to try and appoint Amorim after sacking Erik ten Hag
Amorim became increasingly frustrated at repeated questions on his future and hit out at one reporter who spoke as if he has already left.
‘I haven’t even left Sporting yet,’ he said. ‘What I’m saying is that when everything is decided, I’ll come back here to talk about everything and explain everything.
‘Of course they’re [fans] angry. They have a lot of affection for me and my work. People have to feel what they have to feel at this moment. I understand that and it’s perfectly natural.
‘If I have the opportunity, and I certainly will, I’ll explain in detail why I decided one thing or another.
‘I also felt the atmosphere in the stadium. The players themselves also went to the training camp and I felt different.’