Ruben Amorim’s substitute is brutally SACKED with simply six minutes left of Christmas Day, as Sporting Lisbon wield the axe after dramatic drop in kind since his transfer to Manchester United

Sporting Lisbon failed to spread the festive cheer on Christmas Day as they sacked manager Joao Pereira, just over a month after he replaced Ruben Amorim.

Pereira, 40, was a former full back who enjoyed three separate spells playing for the club.

After retiring, Pereira moved into coaching with the Portuguese outfit, spending two years in charge of their Under 23 team, before he was promoted to lead Sporting’s reserve side at the start of this season.

However, the 40-year-old won just three of his eight games in charge after assuming control of the first team on November 11, suffering a particularly heavy and damaging home 5-1 defeat by Arsenal in the Champions League.

Pereira became the first Sporting boss in history to lose four of his first five games as manager, although his side had shown signs of turning things around with a three-game unbeaten run heading into Christmas.

Yet, this didn’t save Pereira as the club announced news of his dismissal with a short statement at 11.54pm on Christmas Day.

‘A Lion forever. Thank you, João Pereira,’ it read.

Pereira’s appointment came after Amorim departed the club last month to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

During his spell in charge, Amorim secured Sporting’s first league title in more than two decades before repeating the feat last season as speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League intensified.

Sporting were top of the Portuguese league at the time of Amorim’s departure and second in the Champions League League Stage.

However, under Pereira’s guidance, they have slipped to second domestically – one point adrift of rivals Benfica – while Sporting are now in 17th in Europe’s elite club competition, having also suffered a defeat by Club Brugge.

This means they are left in a battle to qualify for the knockout stages, which comes after Amorim led them to three victories from their first four games, including a famous 4-1 triumph against Man City.

Reports had circulated in the Portuguese media ahead of Christmas that Pereira was under pressure, although it was claimed that club chiefs were set to hold a meeting with him after the Christmas break.

Meanwhile, Amorim has endured a mixed start to his life at Old Trafford over the past month-and-a-half.

After winning just one of his first four Premier League games at the club, Amorim led United to a dramatic Manchester derby victory against their bitter rivals City earlier this month.

Any hopes that the result would serve as the turning point for what has been the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign were quickly dashed, however.

On Sunday, United were comprehensively defeated by Bournemouth, with the Cherries running out 3-0 winners, meaning the 39-year-old has won four, lost four and drawn one of his nine games since switching Lisbon for Manchester. 

Speaking following the Bournemouth defeat, Amorim insisted there was ‘anxiety’ among his squad but vowed to persevere with his tactical rebuild.

‘In this moment, everything is so hard,’ said Amorim. ‘For a club like Manchester United to lose 3-0 at home, it’s really tough for everybody.

‘The fans are really disappointed and tired. You can feel it in the stadium in the first play. I understand that, but we have to face it. I felt it since the first minute, there’s a lot of anxiety.

‘Everybody in the club is tired of these moments. We have to face it and focus on the next game.’

United return to action on Boxing Day when they face Wolves, while Sporting host Benfica on December 29.