What a difference a day makes. Yesterday’s Football Daily hinted at the intriguing possibility that Rúben Amorim might rebuff the flirtatious advances of Big Sir Jim, Call Me Dave, and other members of the Ineos Brains Trust. However, this morning it was disclosed that the Sporting manager will indeed replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, though the timing will be at his current club’s discretion. Amorim is expected to land at Old Trafford during the next international break, which commences on 11 November. It is hoped that a club liaison officer will be present to welcome him at the airport and ensure he wears a poppy on his lapel to avoid any immediate offense.
Having agreed to pay the £8.3m release clause for the 39-year-old, United are also committing a substantial sum of nearly £1m, and it is likely they will need to spend more to bring in the various assistants Amorim wishes to have by his side in the dugout. These assistants will be responsible for organizing pre-match drills, chewing gum thoughtfully, engaging with the fourth official, and demonstrating tactics on iPads. In the interim, Ruud van Nistelrooy will remain as caretaker manager for United’s upcoming fixtures against Chelsea, Paok, and Leicester, before passing the baton ahead of their journey to Ipswich on 24 November.
Amorim will oversee Sporting for three more matches, including one against Estrela da Amadora on Friday night. When asked about his new role by reporters in Lisbon, he responded, “I’ll address it after the game. Discussing it now would only destabilize the squad.” Meanwhile, another Manchester-based manager, Pep Guardiola, expressed concern over the injury crisis affecting his squad, particularly ahead of their upcoming clash with Sporting in Portugal.
Despite Manchester City’s tense exit from the Fizzy Cup at the hands of Tottenham, Guardiola was more worried about the injuries sustained by Manuel Akanji, Rúben Dias, and Savinho. “We have 13 players, we are in real difficulties,” he noted. “The players who play end up with problems, and we’ll see how they recover. I think we are in trouble, as in nine years we’ve never faced such a situation with so many injuries.”
On a different note, Claudio Ranieri announced his retirement after concluding his career with Cagliari, while also expressing interest in a potential national team role. Additionally, readers shared their thoughts on various football topics, including memories of Kevin Keegan’s managerial tenure with England.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
