Manchester United appoint Ruben Amorim; Portuguese coach will take over on Nov. 11 after deal with Sporting

Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Ruben Amorim, the outgoing Sporting boss signing a contract through to at least 2027 at Old Trafford.

Amorim will take charge of United from November 11, as CBS Sports reported on Thursday, with the 39-year-old having committed to seeing out three more matches with Sporting. That means his first game in charge of United will come on November 24 when his side travels to Portman Road to take on Ipswich Town.

United have committed to paying Amorim’s $10.9 million release clause in addition to a further $1.1 million to facilitate an exit before his 30 day notice period has concluded. Amorim is expected to be joined by five members of his coaching staff at Sporting, though this has not been confirmed by United, who also offered no further clarity on the status of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman will take charge of United’s remaining fixtures before the international break — at home to Chelsea, PAOK and Leicester City — but with Amorim expected to bring three first team coaches among his staff it remains to be seen just how many of the incumbents will still be required.

Notably Amorim becomes the first ever Manchester United head coach, with all his predecessors having been appointed as managers. Such a change of job title reflects the new structure installed at the club under majority owner INEOS, who have spent much of this year adding well regarded names to their executive team, including chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox. Those latter two names in particular will lead on United’s recruitment; Amorim is not expected to have the transfer veto of his predecessor Erik ten Hag.

“Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football,” said United’s announcement. “Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP; the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years.”

Amorim himself has committed to speaking further on his future after Friday night’s game against Estrela Amadora but has not hidden his excitement at the chance to take the Old Trafford helm. Asked in a pre-match press conference what he liked about the Premier League, his answer was pithy. “Everything.”

Amorim will become Manchester United’s sixth permanent manager since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Three of that group have won silverware — Ten Hag had lifted an EFL Cup and FA Cup before his sacking on Monday — but none have delivered the Premier League title that United came to view as theirs by right under Ferguson.