Manchester United launch battle with Manchester City over highly-rated managerial candidate | OneFootball

Manchester City’s two leading football clubs are facing a direct battle over the signing of Ruben Amorim as their respective next manager, according to reports.

The Premier League champions have been engaged in consistent managerial links with the 39-year-old as a direct result of their appointment of Sporting CP Director of Football, Hugo Viana to take on the same role within the Etihad Stadium.

That comes as Txiki Begiristain brings an end to an illustrious 12-year stay at the club, overseeing some of the finest signings in the club’s history and constructing squads that have brought an unprecedented level of silverware under three different managers.

But with Pep Guardiola’s contract approaching its natural expiry at the end of the ongoing season, discussions are beginning to grow over whether there may be a major double exit at the top of Manchester City’s masterplan.

As such, that has led to the club being linked with a list of potential candidates should they have to open up formal negotiations with tacticians from across Europe to succeed the legendary Catalan coach.

And among those names is Ruben Amorim, as the Sporting CP coach brings in a vast array of interest from across the continent, but particular from the Premier League, and most recently, from Manchester.

According to the information of Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Sporting CP head coach, Ruben Amorim is now not only on the list at Manchester City as a possible replacement for Pep Guardiola, but also at Manchester United.

It is claimed that Old Trafford bosses have already made ‘specific inquiries’ about the Portuguese coach and his situation, and while they want to be ‘prepared’, it is made clear that they in turn still trust Erik ten Hag for now.

For both clubs, the 39-year-old is said to be not planning a move over the immediate coming months give his ‘big ambitions’ with Sporting, while his contract – which is valid until 2026 – includes a release clause in the summer of 2025.

For Manchester City, they will be happy to watch and see how matters develop, with there being no rush to gauge what Pep Guardiola’s own next steps will be as they allow the 53-year-old time and space to weigh up his options.

As for Manchester United, they could be forced into a decision much sooner than they may like, as pressure continues to mount on Erik ten Hag to improve results after a hugely lacklustre start to the campaign.

There may of course be other options for City to explore should Pep Guardiola decide to leave the club, and those candidates will almost certainly include Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso – who has continue to set new standards at the German club alongside silverware success.