Manchester United are in talks about appointing Sporting manager Ruben Amorim as Erik ten Hag’s replacement.
Dutchman Ten Hag was sacked on Monday following the side’s poor start to the season.
Amorim, 39, is a highly regarded coach who has won two Portuguese league titles with Sporting – including their first in 19 years – since joining in 2020.
The extent of the talks over Amorim are not known.
It is also not clear whether other alternatives remain in the frame to take the Old Trafford job.
However, Amorim is now becoming the leading candidate.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Portuguese Amorim said he was expecting a question about the Manchester United job but was not prepared to talk about it.
United have appointed Ten Hag’s assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim manager but have so far refused to clarify how long the Dutchman will remain in charge, or whether he will definitely be in post for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie with Leicester at Old Trafford.
The club has already ruled out Van Nistelrooy conducting a pre-match media conference on Tuesday. Ten Hag spoke about the EFL Cup game after Sunday’s defeat by West Ham. Although United have spoken about the financial impact of paying compensation to Ten Hag and an incoming coach, others with a knowledge of United’s finances have suggested this will not be an insurmountable issue.
Sporting paid Amorim’s former club Braga 10m euros (£8.3m) to secure his services in 2020.
Amorim – whose contract runs until June 2026 – held talks with West Ham in April but there was no agreement and the Portuguese subsequently apologised to Sporting for holding discussions behind the club’s back.
Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham left Manchester United 14th in the Premier League with three wins from their opening nine matches.
They are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League table, having drawn their three opening fixtures.
Amorim ‘could be something special’ – analysis
There has been no confirmation from Manchester United about the talks with Amorim, which in itself tells a story.
It is understood there is a hefty compensation figure involved, which could be around 10m euros (£8.3m), although given the amount United spent on players over Ten Hag’s time at the club that is a drop in the ocean.
The gamble – and no matter who they go for that is what it will be – would centre around Amorim’s lack of experience outside Portugal and how he will deal with the intense pressure that comes with moving into the Old Trafford hot seat.
Those who have spoken to him previously about managerial vacancies have been impressed and realise he could be something very special.
It seems Manchester United’s power brokers think that way too.
By BBC Sports