. Ruben Amorim is in pole position to succeed Erik ten Hag as Manchester United’s manager. And perhaps he was always meant to be the star at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese coach who has done fantastic work at Sporting Lisbon since they paid an exorbitant fee to grab him from Braga after only a few months as a senior head coach, is no stranger to Old Trafford or even United’s Carrington Training Complex.

After retiring from football and renouncing his Benfica contract, Amorim enrolled in a postgraduate programme at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Human Kinetics, where he worked alongside Jose Mourinho for six and a half years. Mourinho was the High Performance Coaching course’s coordinator and lecturer at the time. He carefully selected the top kids to intern with him and his coaching staff. In retrospect, Amorim was unsurprisingly one of the three choices.

This internship began the week after United advanced to the FA Cup final with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their semi-final at Wembley Stadium, followed by a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Amorim, who never played for or worked with Mourinho during his coaching career, and the current Fenerbahce manager posed for a photo inside one of Carrington’s offices.

This internship began the week after Manchester United advanced to the FA Cup final with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, followed by a 2-1 Premier League victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford. Amorim, who never played for or worked with Mourinho during his coaching career, and the current Fenerbahce manager posed for a photo in one of Carrington’s offices.

Amorim has won titles and established his name at Sporting, much like Mourinho did at Porto over 20 years ago. He has mercilessly cut old heads, transformed young players into stars, and sold for a fortune. Like his mentor, it could be his turn to make his way to the Premier League. Perhaps he will be able to have a comparable impression. Join our new WhatsApp community to get your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also provide our community members with unique deals, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you dislike our community, you are welcome to leave at any moment. If you are inquisitive, please read our Privacy Notice.