Man Utd set for record-breaking financial outlay with Ruben Amorim close to replacing Erik ten Hag
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Manchester United are set to make history as they close in on the appointment of Ruben Amorim following their decision to sack Erik ten Hag earlier this week.
Ten Hag was axed at Old Trafford on Monday, with the Dutchman paying the price for a poor start to the season that has seen the Red Devils slip to 14th in the Premier League table.
Sporting Lisbon confirmed on Tuesday that United had reached out to them about hiring Amorim as a replacement, despite the fallen giants also being linked with the likes of Graham Potter, Edin Terzic, Thomas Frank and Gareth Southgate.
United intend on paying Amorim's £8.3million release clause in order to make him their sixth permanent boss since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013.
Manchester United are set to make history as they close in on the appointment of Ruben Amorim following their decision to sack Erik ten Hag earlier this week
REUTERS
And that fee means the Red Devils will be paying more for Amorim than any other manager in their history.
Moyes was the first to arrive at Old Trafford following Ferguson's exit, with the Scot touching down from Everton after being hand-picked by his predecessor.
However, United didn't need to pay the Toffees anything on that occasion given the 61-year-old's contract at Goodison Park was due to expire anyway.
After Moyes came Louis van Gaal. The charismatic Dutchman joined United after working for the Netherlands, having steered his country to third at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
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Like Moyes, however, United didn't need to compensate the Dutch - with Van Gaal's contract expiring that summer anyway.
Jose Mourinho was a free agent when he moved to Old Trafford in 2016. His time with the club started well with United winning two trophies in his first season - while they also finished second in the Premier League table in 2018.
Mourinho's time at United failed to live up to expectations, however, and he was relieved of his duties in December that year after falling out with several big players - including Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw.
With United needing to lift some of the doom and gloom mood, they lured in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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They reportedly paid £1.8m to Molde to hire the Norweigan on an interim basis given he was manager of the club at the time.
United then made a goodwill payment of around £500,000 when they made Solskjaer's position permanent in March 2019.
Solskjaer, for a while, looked as though he'd be the manager to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford.
The club finished second and third on his watch but he lost his job in November 2021 after a wretched run of form that coincided with the Hollywood homecoming of Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Man Utd decided to sack Erik ten Hag earlier this week following Sunday's 2-1 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium
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With Ralf Rangnick toiling during his temporary spell in charge, United then decided to overlook Mauricio Pochettino and go for Ten Hag in the summer of 2022.
The Dutchman was contracted to Ajax at the time and the Red Devils paid £2.5m to bring in the 54-year-old and his assistant, Mitchell van der Gaag.
Fast-forward to now, however, and United are set to spend big on Amorim.
They believe the 39-year-old is one of the best young managers on the planet, having been impressed by all his success at Sporting Lisbon over the past four years.
Man Utd believe Ruben Amorim can bring the glory days back to Old Trafford
REUTERS
Amorim will not come cheap, of course. At £8.3m, United are paying a premium rate.
They are hopeful, however, that he can finally make them a force to be reckoned with after 11 years of problems.
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