Ruben Amorim to Manchester United is now a question of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ but in the meantime, he’s going about his job at Sporting.
In what could eventually be his farewell game for the Portuguese club, Ruben Amorim guided his team to a 3-1 victory over CD Nacional to enter the final four of the domestic cup.
Viktor Gyokeres, his biggest success story at Sporting, again stepped up and scored two goals, taking his tally to 16 in 15 games after scoring 43 in 50 games last season.
Another player linked to Man Utd in the past, Morten Hjulmand scored the other in what was a perfect microcosm of what makes this side so good.
Needless to say, the focus immediately after the game was on his pending departure, with Sporting already confirming United’s intention to pay his release clause.
Ruben Amorim on Man Utd rumours
It was notable that Amorim immediately went into the tunnel as soon as the final whistle blew instead of greeting the fans.
He just greeted the opposing manager and ran inside but he was on hand to give his thoughts during the flash interview afterwards.
He would have known that the United question would be among the first to be asked of him but he refused to be drawn into any speculation.
Amorim said: “Nobody knows if it is a farewell game or if there will be a farewell. That is a matter that has not yet been decided.
“I have nothing to say. Anything I say will only create more noise, there is nothing concrete to say. When I have something concrete to say… There will be a statement, everyone will know. Apart from that, we still don’t know the details. We’ll see. Anything I say now will only fuel noise. Everything I say now is noise. It will be up to me to decide and I will be here to take responsibility. Saying half-measures now doesn’t seem like the best thing to do.
“I can not control the fact that one club made an offer. What I can control is my decision. When I have that decision I will tell you and the [Sporting] fans.”
It pours cold water on the frenzy of news that has dominated the coverage since Amorim was first linked to the job of Man Utd manager.
However, as a consummate professional, it was always unlikely that he would make this game all about himself when there was a place in the semifinal at stake.
It also makes it clear that deal between Amorim and United remain ongoing and it is only to Sporting that United have communicated their desire to pay the release clause.
Assessing Amorim’s arrival date
Amorim refused to be drawn into speculation here but with fixtures coming thick and fast for both, Sporting and Man Utd, they would want this deal to get done as soon as possible.
That will give clarity to all sides involved since Sporting play their next game on November 1, two days before United’s league game against Chelsea.
There have been reports that United plan to have Amorim in charge for the Chelsea game so to make that happen, a deal would have to be done in the next day or two.
Ultimately, it just looks like a case of Amorim wanting to be professional to Sporting till his last moment which is appreciable. It’s still a matter of ‘when’, and not ‘if’.
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