Ruben Amorim bin learn how to become a football manager during internship under Jose Mourinho for Manchester United – six years afta dem dey tok about am as di club potential new manager.
Bifor im name begin pop up for Old Trafford, oda clubs too don cut eye bifor now for di 39-year- old Portuguese coach.
On Monday, tori come out say Manchester United dey do tok-tok to appoint Amorim as Erik ten Hag replacement.
Im bin dey heavily linked wit Liverpool afta Jurgen Klopp decision to leave di Reds last season, im bin tok wit West Ham about becoming dia new boss, and many pipo dey tip am as a possible successor to Man City Pep Guardiola.
Dis na all you need sabi about Amorim.
Who be Ruben Amorim?
Ruben Amorim na di current boss of Sporting. E come from Portugal.
Amorim lead Sporting to dia first league title in 19 years at di age of just 36 for 2021 and win im second wit di club last season.
Im bin play as a midfielder for Benfica and Portugal, Amorim retire as a player in 2018 and first make im mark as coach di following year, im impressive performance in charge of Braga reserve team make dem promote am to first-team manager.
Ten wins in 13 games – including a first victory for Benfica for 65 years – make big clubs to notice am, na sake of dat Sporting secure im services- dem pay 10m euros (£8.6m) to make am dia manager in March 2020.
Dat na di third-highest transfer fee for a manager. Amorim contract wit Sporting go run until June 2026.
- Ruud van Nistelrooy take over as Man Utd interim coach afta sack of Erik ten Hag
- Rodri win Ballon d’Or 2024
- Caf sanction Libya, award three points to Super Eagles
Why im dey play wit three for back?
European football expert Guillem Balague tell BBC Sport say: “Im coaching career actually begin wit Casa Pia, a third-tier club, wia e bin almost end as soon as e begin.
“Im bin lose im first two games wey hurt im pride and doubts begin set in. Im announce say if im lose di third game im go quit. For di next match im change di system and play a back three for di first time.
“Di system work and from den on im remain unbeaten for di club. Im also feel say im don find di formation wey allow am to produce di football im want – one wey dey linked to di spectacle for di fans.
“From dia, im neva look back as im go Braga and den Sporting.”
Former Liverpool and Portugal defender Abel Xavier bin spend time wit Amorim while dem bin dey take dia coaching badges and im bin dey impressed wit wetin im bin see from di outset.
“Im dey veri humble, discreet, and get a veri clear mindset,” im tell BBC World Service.
“For Braga we see immediate impact becos, wit di same squad, wit di same players, im transform di team.
“Im put im ideas im place, im change di dynamic, im create empathy, and of course a big club like Sporting Lisbon pay to bring am.”
Which type of football wey Amorim dey play?
Im fit don learn coaching under Mourinho – and im still be close friends wit di former Manchester United boss – but im footballing principles no too different.
“Amorim go admit say im still dey add layers of knowledge to im methods but im still believe say football only dey make sense if dose wey dey watch am, dey enjoy am,” Balague tok.
“As well as dose lessons from im former coach Jorge Jesus, Amorim dey look closely at dose wey show special quality as leaders, including Mourinho.
“Im be pesin wey like spectacular, offensive football, wit plenty goals, domination and control. Im be crowd pleaser.”
Several players for Premier League sabi Amorim management style – United Manuel Ugarte, Manchester City Matheus Nunes, Tottenham Pedro Porro and Joao Palhinha of Bayern Munich all dey part of im 2020-21 title-winning side.
For Sporting, di 39-year-old like di 3-4-3 formation, wia im go play in a low block wit attacking wing-backs wey dey push high up di pitch.
Off di ball dem dey press aggressively and counter-attack quickly wen dem dey in possession.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes na fan too.
“I feel say all di qualities dey for am to to succeed for English, French, or Spanish football,” im tell SportTV last year.
“Obviously, we know say di Premier League probably na di most desired. Di qualities [to succeed for England] dey dia dia and im get evritin to take di next step, in my opinion.”
Balague add say: “Amorim dey like sponge. Afta training and meetings, im like to spend a couple of hours for im home office dey watch games, read about football and managers, organising zooms wit pipo im fit learn new tins from.
“Im sabi good English and im recent reading material include books about Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho.”
To succeed for Portugal and to do di same for Manchester United na two veri different things.
Ten Hag leave di club 14th for Premier League wit just three wins from dia opening nine matches – so why dem feel say Amorim na di man to restore former glories wen big names bifor am don fail?
“For pitch, im dey always deliver,” na so Portuguese football writer Marcus Alves tok. “Not even di constant sales for transfer market be problem for am. Under Amorim, no player dey irreplaceable and more important pass di club.
“Di Manchester United job fit look like impossible one right now, but na so di Sporting one bin dey wen dem unveil Amorim as dia head coach on 5 March 2020.
“Eloquent and outgoing, Amorim dey irresistible and e sabi use words sotay Cristiano Ronaldo bin dey call am ‘poet’ for national team.
“Above all, di 39-year-old no dey tolerate lack of professionalism. Dis na man wey don pacify team wey bin dey fight each oda. Surely im fit do am twice if dem allow am too.”
Why im fit leave Sporting?
So back to wen all dis start for Amorim.
“On Mourinho, Amorim bin do a [post-graduate degree] wey bin include a kind of internship under Mourinho, so im bin spend one week for Manchester wit am,” Alves tok.
“I tink na for 2017 and also e include one class wia Mourinho reveal how United beat Ajax for di Europa League final.”
Balague add put: “Im generosity dey well-known, particularly to dose wey support am for im early days of management wit Casa Pia bifor dem find demsef dey face hard times.
“Im no dey forget dose years and im dey continue to help and pay for di housing of some Casa Pia footballers wey im work wit during dat tenure.”
But why now – if im decide to move to Old Trafford?
Amorim for don leave Sporting bifor now, im bin dey strongly linked wit succeeding Guardiola at Man City, if di Spaniard decide to leave Etihad Stadium dis season.
Balague say: “Di feeling na say Portugal don dey too small for am and im dey more dan prepared to move on to bigger tins.