Ruben Amorim speaks out on Man Utd links; Erik ten Hag stance made clear
- Man Utd have denied exploring alternatives to Ten Hag
- Dutch boss is under pressure from fans after poor run of results
- Glazers & Sir Jim Ratcliffe remain supportive of Ten Hag
By Tom Gott
Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim has denied speaking with Manchester United over potentially replacing Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout.
Ten Hag is under mounting pressure after a miserable run of results which has seen some call for the boss to be relieved of his duties, and a report in England claimed United have started looking at alternatives to the Dutchman.
90min understands, however, that Ten Hag's future remains safe in the eyes of both current owners the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is aiming to complete a minority takeover of the Red Devils in the near future.
United confirmed as much with a statement in response to the claims of contact with a number of managers, one of which was Amorim, which stated "the report claiming that we are exploring alternatives to Erik ten Hag as manager is categorically false".
38-year-old Amorim, who has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, was keen to shut down the speculation on Thursday.
"This year I’m not going to go back to the same conversation as last year," he said when asked about links to United. "I’m not going to make any kind of comment on these situations. We don’t know the future, it depends on the results.
"Regarding the future, I have an idea for the end of the season but I won’t say it now. But the results and the context take us to something different.
"I don’t want to be commenting on these things. I have not been contacted by Manchester United."
Probed on whether things could change, amid reports of a €10m (£8.7m) release clause in his contract, he added: "I’m not going to be commenting on that.
‘I will respect the contract, everything that is there will be fulfilled."