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Amorim Says Man United Refused His Request to Take over at the End of the Season

Sporting coach Ruben Amorim attends a press conference on his transfer to Manchester United, in Lisbon, Portugal, 01 November 2024. (EPA)
Sporting coach Ruben Amorim attends a press conference on his transfer to Manchester United, in Lisbon, Portugal, 01 November 2024. (EPA)
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Amorim Says Man United Refused His Request to Take over at the End of the Season

Sporting coach Ruben Amorim attends a press conference on his transfer to Manchester United, in Lisbon, Portugal, 01 November 2024. (EPA)
Sporting coach Ruben Amorim attends a press conference on his transfer to Manchester United, in Lisbon, Portugal, 01 November 2024. (EPA)

Incoming Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said the English club refused his request to take over at the end of this season, telling him: "It was now or never."

Amorim will leave Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese champion, to take charge of United on Nov. 11 as the replacement for Erik ten Hag, who was fired on Monday.

Hours after being confirmed as United’s next manager, Amorim held an emotionally charged news conference after Sporting’s 5-1 win over Estrela da Amadora on Friday. He detailed the background to what he described as a life-changing decision.

Amorim said he always planned for this to be his last season at Sporting — he has coached the team since 2020 — and he changed his mind "many times" about what decision to take after United expressed its interest.

"The only thing I asked for was that it was at the end of the season," Amorim said, "and they said no, that wasn’t possible, it was now or never and if not they would look at another option.

"I had three days to take a decision that would radically change my life. And that is what I did."

Amorim said United wasn’t the first club to offer to pay the buyout clause in his Sporting contract.

"I had other offers but I didn’t want them, and this one I did, so I made my decision," he said.

"People say it was about the money, but there was another team that wanted to hire me before and they paid three times more than Manchester (United)."

Amorim said he had the "best time of my life" at Sporting, where he won the Portuguese league twice in four full seasons, and he could "feel the anger and the disappointment of some fans" during the game against Estrela, during which he appeared to be close to tears on one occasion.

"I understand that they (Sporting’s fans) are hurt," he said, "but we have to keep going forward, time heals all wounds."

Amorim said he would be taking his backroom staff at Sporting with him to United but vowed not to sign any players from Sporting in the January transfer window.

He hasn’t spoken to any United player yet, he said, and declined to speak in depth about United until he joined the team on Nov. 11.

Before then, he will take charge of two more Sporting matches — against Manchester City in the Champions League and Braga in the Portuguese league.

Amorim’s first game with United will be on Nov. 24 away to Ipswich in the Premier League.

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Guardiola Hits 'Reset' with Man City Floundering in the Premier League

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola watches the play during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola watches the play during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
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Guardiola Hits 'Reset' with Man City Floundering in the Premier League

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola watches the play during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola watches the play during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

For Pep Guardiola, the season starts now.

Chastened. Relieved. Defiant. The Manchester City manager displayed a whole range of emotions after his latest ordeal at Anfield that plunged the out-of-sorts English champions to an unlikely low.

Make that seven matches without a win for a team which, not so long ago, never lost.

That’s all in the past for Guardiola, though, The AP reported.

“Reset,” he said after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. “There’s a feeling we start from here this season.”

How he intends to move on from the worst run of results in his managerial career remains to be seen. But it all starts Wednesday with a home game against Nottingham Forest.

“We are not used to this,” Guardiola said. “Many, many things are happening. The teams are good and we can’t handle it right now. I have to find the solution to be stable and solid.

“These players gave me a chance to lead maybe the best years of my life. All I can do is find a solution — in the right moment, the club will make the decision what is needed for this club to continue to be there.”

Was he referring to making signings in the January transfer window? City’s fatigued and injury-ravaged squad sure needs some, especially in midfield.

Or was he referring to his own future? It’s not the first time in recent days that Guardiola brought up how fragile his position could quickly become if City keeps on losing.

Moments before walking down the tunnel after the final whistle at Anfield, Guardiola held up one outstretched hand and an extra finger as a retort to taunts by Liverpool fans. It was a nod to the six Premier League titles he has won in eight full seasons at City.

No. 7 doesn’t look likely this season. Not with City already 11 points behind Liverpool.

“Call me delusional or something like that,” Guardiola said, “but I have the feeling we will try to build back our confidence to win games.”

Indeed, Guardiola said he was taking some belief from recent training sessions. From the return to fitness of some players, such as Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku. Maybe from a second-half display against Liverpool that, while hardly vintage City, at least showed some spirit and resolve, even if Liverpool appeared happy to play on the break and never looked troubled.

It felt like Guardiola was relieved to come away from Anfield with the damage limited and City’s hardest fixture of the season out of the way.

Yet his comments will sound so hollow if City goes on to lose to — or even draw with — sixth-place Forest, which is only one point and one spot further back and has a manager in Nuno Espirito Santo who has enjoyed some surprise results at City with former club Wolverhampton. Forest also is the only team to beat Liverpool in 20 games this season.

“Let's not forget they are the champions,” Espirito Santo said of City, “the team that won so many (titles) with so many quality players. It's going to be very tough.

“We'll take what other opponents did right (against City) so we can do it again.”

Guardiola's masterplan might include a change of role for Grealish, who could yet play more centrally as a No. 10 rather than as a winger. Or a first start since September for Kevin De Bruyne, who has had to settle for cameo roles off the bench as he struggles to fully overcome a groin injury.

Getting some energy into his midfield will be important as the absence of Rodri and Mateo Kovacic continues to bite hard and be City's biggest issue. That might come in the form of a new signing next month, unless Guardiola is working on a new plan on the training ground.

A midweek victory for City, coupled with setbacks for Liverpool at Newcastle and Arsenal at home to Manchester United elsewhere Wednesday, could yet rekindle some belief that all is not lost this season.

On current form, this is unlikely.

“I think it’s almost a mini-crisis at Manchester City," said Jamie Carragher, a pundit for British broadcaster Sky Sports. "I think City might have a fight on their hands for top four.”