Potential Replacements for Erik ten Hag Identified by Manchester United
Amid the mounting pressure on Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, the club has reportedly identified two potential replacements.
Recent back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle have left the Red Devils languishing in eighth place in the Premier League, trailing first-placed Tottenham Hotspur by a considerable nine points.
Their Champions League campaign hasn’t fared any better, with two losses in the opening three matches. As a result, Ten Hag finds himself on precarious ground, facing his worst start to a campaign in over six decades.
According to reports from The Times, Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane have emerged as candidates to succeed Ten Hag.
While Zidane’s reputation is well-known, Ruben Amorim’s name might be unfamiliar to many. So, who is this 38-year-old manager who has garnered the praise of Pep Guardiola?
Ruben Amorim’s Background:
Ruben Amorim began his football career as a midfielder and made a name for himself with 95 appearances for Portuguese football giants Benfica. He transitioned into coaching, embarking on his managerial journey.
His coaching career commenced with Casa Pia in 2018, followed by a stint with Braga B. Eventually, he earned a promotion to lead the first team and took over as the manager of Sporting Lisbon in 2020.
During his tenure at Sporting Lisbon, he achieved remarkable success by guiding the team to their first league title in 19 years during the 2020/21 season. Notably, he secured a notable victory against Arsenal in the Europa League last season.
Praise from Pep Guardiola:
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has spoken highly of Ruben Amorim. In the lead-up to a Champions League second-leg tie against RB Leipzig last season, Guardiola described the Portuguese manager as “one of the best.”
Reflecting on Sporting Lisbon’s previous performance, Guardiola remarked, “A year ago, we won by five in Lisbon at this stage of the Champions League, and they said, ‘How bad Sporting is.’ What a poor team.
They had won the league. From my point of view, their coach is one of the best at the moment. His team was very, very good.
Do you know what happened there? Five opportunities, five shots, five goals. It was 100%. How good is the coach, huh? This year we had chances, we drew with Leipzig, and they say that Manchester City is a disaster.”
Ruben Amorim’s impressive track record and Pep Guardiola’s endorsement have brought him into the spotlight as a potential candidate for the Manchester United managerial role, should the need for a change arise.