Ruben Amorim has been slammed by a former Sporting Lisbon chief who claims his “passion” is a “fantasy” as the Portuguese manager prepares to leave for Manchester United.
Amorim looks set to become the new United manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday with the Red Devils informing Sporting Lisbon that they are ready to pay the manager’s £8.3m release clause to get him to Old Trafford.
They want to have him in place ahead of the clash with Chelsea but that may not be possible unless there is a breakthrough in discussions, with other sticking points involving his backroom staff also needing to be resolved.
He’s reportedly already made his thoughts on the current United squad clear to the board, with four who ‘don’t interest him’ surplus to requirements and set to be made available for transfer in January, while he has his eye on a Sporting quartet to replace them.
Amorim was asked after Sporting’s 3-1 win over Nacional on Tuesday about his supposedly imminent move to United.
Amorim said: “We have to wait a little bit to explain everything I need to explain, then it will be very clear.
“It is my decision. I will tell everything so we have to wait. I don’t know [how long this period will be].”
Amorim was also asked whether he will be at Old Trafford on Sunday to take charge of United’s clash against Chelsea.
He replied: “I will be here in Lisbon.” When Sky Sports reporter Gary Cotterill followed up with “definitely?”, Amorim laughed: “I don’t know,” before making a swift exit out of the press room.
Amorim was heavily linked with the Liverpool job in the summer and travelled to meet with West Ham in London ahead of a key Sporting clash with Porto in the title race, a move he then apologised for.
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That presumably didn’t go down well with Jaime Marta Shares, the former chairman of Sporting’s General Assembly, who has now blasted Amorim over his “attitude” and the way in which he looks set to depart the club where “he made his name”.
“[Ruben Amorim’s] attitude and personality seemed like one thing, but that fell apart from one moment to the next. His love, passion, and dedication to Sporting were just fantasy situations,” Soares told Radio Renascenca.
“He was the one who created an environment with an entire Sporting fanatic nation around him, who adored and respected him. He shouldn’t have spat in the plate that gave him his soup.
“I’m a fan of Ruben Amorim, but there are things that shouldn’t be allowed. It was at Sporting that he made his name.
“If he hadn’t let himself get caught up in the dream of making millions, and since he was adored by Sporting fans, he should have thought about leaving through the big door and not this way. Sporting fans will certainly react.”
