Ruben Amorim is reportedly bringing his own staff to Manchester United in another restructuring of the Old Trafford sporting department. The Portuguese tactician is understood to be close to becoming Erik ten Hag’s successor.
Amorim has become one of Europe’s most highly-rated coaches. At just 39, he has won two Liga Portugal titles and two Taca da Portugals, the country’s most prestigious domestic cup competition.
But the Portuguese coach’s closest confidants all have their own intriguing backstories. Three of them are set to arrive at Old Trafford over the coming days.
Remarkably, two of those individuals are younger than United captain Bruno Fernandes, who is only 30. Carlos Fernandes, 29, is Amorim’s long-term assistant and United will be the third club where the duo have worked together.
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Amorim has compared his relationship with Fernandes to the one shared by Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho at Barcelona. He once said that Fernandes will be a better coach than him, saying: "My number two is Carlos Fernandes, he’s been my right-hand man right from day one. He’ll be a much better coach than me.
"I often say if I become Bobby Robson, then he’ll be my Jose Mourinho! But there’s plenty of time, we’ve signed a 15-year deal!”
The 28-year-old Adelio Candido is also set to join Amorim at United, according to Sky Sports. Like Fernandes, Candido worked with Amorim at Casa Pia, Braga and Sporting Lisbon.
Experienced goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital is also expected to join United. The 63-year-old was at Braga and joined Amorim in moving to Sporting 2020. Intriguingly, none of the three coaches have professional playing experience.
United will face some tough negotiations with Sporting in their attempts to lure Amorim out of the Portuguese capital. It has been widely reported that Sporting want around £4.1million on top of their head coach’s £8.3m release clause to allow members of his backroom team to depart.
Amorim also has a 30-day notice period even if United match his release clause. Sporting reportedly want a larger fee in order to waive the notice period, and reports from Portugal suggest that he could remain in charge for the time being.
United are keen for a swift appointment that would see Amorim in place ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea. Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the EFL Cup tie against Leicester tonight.
