Ruben Amorim has promised to confirm his decision on his future after Sporting CP’s clash with Estrela on Friday.
The English media reported on Thursday morning that Manchester United had reached a full agreement to make Amorim their next manager, with confirmation of the move initially expected later in the day.
Coincidentally, Amorim had a press conference scheduled for the afternoon in which he previewed the Estrela game, but it came as no surprise that so many of the questions revolved around his imminent move to United.
Asked whether INEOS chief Sir Dave Brailsford was right to claim the deal was “done”, Amorim replied: “I know they made a trip to come here to talk about this, and it’s natural, but we’ll leave that for the end of the game. At the end of the game, I’ll talk about all these issues.
“Now I want the team to focus and myself too. I promise I’ll talk at the end of the game and everything will be clearer. By talking now, it’s just another destabilisation for the squad. Now the focus is on the game.
“At the end of the game everything will be clearer, I’ve already said that. Right now, the focus is on Estrela. In terms of doing things differently, I wouldn’t. I didn’t control anything in the situation. At the end of the game we’ll have time for that.”
Some in the English media made the trip to the press conference to ask for a formal timeline on the imminent announcement of his move to United.
“It’s a negotiation between two clubs,” Amorim responded in confident English. “It’s never easy, even with the clauses, they have to talk. We’ll have clarification after the game. It will be very clear, so it’s one more day. After the game tomorrow, we will have the decision made.”
As part of the agreement between United and Sporting, Amorim is expected to remain in charge of his current employers until the November international break, at which point he will head to Old Trafford.
