Sporting boss Ruben Amorim speculated to take over at Manchester United after Erik Ten Hag sacked

Scepticism is the polite description of the Portuguese media’s reaction when Ruben Amorim was appointed Sporting boss in 2020.

Understandable, given he was a 35-year-old with just 17 games of professional management on his CV.

To make matters worse, he had spent most of his playing career at city rivals Benfica.

So it felt fair to question why this “coaching nobody” — as one columnist put it — was seen as the man to solve Sporting’s problems.

“Madness,” read one headline, quoting Luis Figo’s verdict on forking out the third-highest fee ever paid for a boss.

“What will you do if it ends as badly as your predecessors,” asked a reporter, noting the club had gone through 16 managers in 19 years since their last league title.

His reply was short but sweet.

“And what if it goes well?,” he said.

Amorim is confident — some may say arrogant — with a sharp and dry wit. He is a shrewd communicator whose press duties are often as entertaining as his matches.

The former midfielder, described as a “master trash-talker”, believes games begin not at the stadium on matchday, but in the media auditorium.

Sound familiar? Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “For a manager, at a press conference you need to come out as the winner. You can kill yourself in a press conference ... it’s an important part of your job.”

Another comparison might be made with Amorim’s idol Jose Mourinho, who has himself described his compatriot as “the new Mourinho”.

They exchange texts regularly and Amorim has called him his “reference” but added: “There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”

Although they have both taken a leaf from Johan Cruyff’s book in terms of tactics, departing Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could not be more different from the man tipped to succeed him at Old Trafford.

If Ten Hag’s style often resembled a rabble, Amorim has a definite football identity.

Where Ten Hag was accused of being a bumbler when speaking, Amorim is a master orator. Where Ten Hag created friction, Amorim is a specialist in uniting groups.

“The best word to describe Ruben is genuine,” one former colleague of his tells Mail Sport.

“He makes everyone in the building feel heard, from the team captain to office staff — it creates a winning mentality. He is loud but never aggressive or rude. He is a leader and makes everyone feel like they are working with him, not below him. But his best trait is communicating, making everyone feel united and trusted.”

Portuguese football expert om Kundert adds: “He has a remarkably jovial demeanour, even when the pressure is on. He fosters a superb spirit among the whole squad — that is the fruit of his communicative approach.

“I cannot remember him ever criticising his players in public or any news story of an unhappy player. He will say things like, ‘we lost because I am a coach who is still inexperienced and is learning the trade’. He does a great job at swerving controversies.”

Good, then, given Old Trafford is a carousel of controversy. Amorim does not have a magic wand, though. Plenty of managers have tried to crack it at United since Ferguson left — all have walked into the building full of confidence and left a shell of their former self.

It must also be asked why a man with two Portuguese titles to his name is still at Sporting.

Liverpool were keen earlier this year but pulled out. Barcelona also looked at him, and he has been on Tottenham’s radar in the past.

Insiders suspect his agent has played games with clubs and the media by planting false stories.

Amorim is said to be “wedded” to his 3-4-3 formation which has a strong defensive core but also a relentless pressing game and brand of fast, vertical football which produced more than 100 goals last season.

His 29-year-old assistant Carlos Fernandes — described as “the Mourinho to Amorim’s Bobby Robson” — is loud on the training pitch.

Amorim is ruthless with substitutions and not afraid to call out players for mistakes — passing backwards when vertical options are on is something he counts as an error.

Amorim was asked in April about being dubbed “Mourinho 2.0” and replied: “I’m just the Sporting coach, nothing more.”

He could soon be ‘just’ the coach of the world’s biggest club.