Ruben Amorim responds to links with Man Utd job

Ruben Amorim swerved questions about his future after being asked about taking the vacant Manchester United job.

The Red Devils dumped Erik ten Hag on Monday following a poor start to the season, with the weekend's 2-1 defeat to West Ham United proving to be his final game in charge.

United have quickly identified Amorim as one of their prime targets to replace the Dutchman, entering into talks with Sporting CP. They are said to be willing to pay the Portuguese club's €10m (£8.3m) release clause, though the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Xavi Hernandez have also been mentioned as potential Ten Hag successors.

Amorim has won two Primeira Liga titles with Sporting in recent years and has been linked with Premier League clubs in the past. However, when asked about United's alleged interest, the 39-year-old reiterated his commitment to his current team.

He said: "I was already expecting this question [about Man Utd] and obviously I'm not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I'll always have to comment.

"I’m very proud to be Sporting coach, that's all."

Sporting currently lead Portugal's top flight again, having won all nine of their games so far and scoring 30 goals in the process. They've also made a promising start to the newly revamped Champions League, earning two wins and a draw to sit eighth in the table.

Their form is in stark contract to United's who took the decision to sack Ten Hag after a dismal start to the campaign. The 13-time Premier League title winners currently reside in 14th having recorded only three victories, while they are also yet to win in the Europa League after three draws.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken charge for the time-being and will lead United in their Carabao Cup clash with Leicester City on Wednesday.

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