Manchester United have lured Ruben Amorim away from Sporting and one Bayern Munich star has now praised the ‘huge’ move.
Manchester United’s managerial search didn’t last all that long.
Erik ten Hag was sacked by United last Monday after a difficult start to the season both in the Premier League and Europa League.
By Friday, United had confirmed Ruben Amorim as the club’s new head coach after agreeing a deal with Sporting.
The deal sees Amorim start work at United during the international break, allowing him to continue with Sporting until the end of this week.
Bayern Munich star on Ruben Amorim to Manchester United
Amorim has not only won two league titles at Sporting but also helped develop a number of top players.
Tottenham Hotspur right back Pedro Porro and Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes are two examples, as is Paris Saint-Germain left back Nuno Mendes.
United midfielder Manuel Ugarte even became a star under Amorim, helping fill the midfield void left by Joao Palhinha.
Palhinha was a machine as a defensive midfielder under Amorim, sparking a 2022 move to Fulham.
The giant midfielder excelled in the Premier League and secured a £47.5million move to Bayern Munich over the summer, as noted by the London Evening Standard.
Palhinha is now set to face Portuguese side Benfica in the Champions League and has spoken to the press in Portugal about Amorim’s move to United.
Speaking to A Bola, Palhinha noted that he has ‘a lot of affection’ for Amorim having worked under him at Sporting and Braga.
Palhinha noted that Amorim deserves such a ‘huge’ move and wished him ‘the greatest success’ at Old Trafford.
“I had the opportunity to work with him,” said Palhinha. “I have a lot of affection for him. If he has taken this huge step in his career, it is because he deserves it. Everyone who has worked with him shares the same opinion and as a former player and friend I wish him the greatest success,” he added.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 11 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 15 |
| 12 |  BrentfordBrentford | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 13 |
| 13 |  Man UtdManchester United | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 12 |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 11 |
| 15 |  LeicesterLeicester | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 18 | -4 | 10 |
Erik ten Hag wanted Joao Palhinha
In another world, Palhinha could have been gearing up to play under Amorim again.
Reports in 2023 suggested that Ten Hag wanted to sign Palhinha from Fulham to bolster his midfield ranks.
Palhinha was understood to be interested in the move to United but it just didn’t materialise.
United still wanted to sign Palhinha this past summer but Ten Hag again missed out on his man as he joined Bayern.
Palhinha has been in and out of the team under Vincent Kompany, so we can’t completely close the door on a United move – and a reunion with Amorim – down the line.
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