Ruben Amorim 'has angered several players' ahead of blockbuster move to Manchester United
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Ruben Amorim has reportedly angered several of his Sporting Lisbon players as he prepares to leave for Manchester United.
The Red Devils decided to sack Erik ten Hag on Monday, with the Dutchman relieved of his duties following a dreadful start to the season that has seen the fallen giants sit 14th in the Premier League table.
United have been linked with the likes of Edin Terzic, Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter, Thomas Frank and Marco Silva in the time since.
But it's Amorim the Red Devils want, having indicated they're prepared to pay his £8.3million release clause.
Ruben Amorim has reportedly angered several of his Sporting Lisbon players as he prepares to leave for Manchester United
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This was confirmed by Sporting on Tuesday, with the Portuguese giants saying: "1. Manchester United FC expressed interest in hiring coach Rúben Amorim, with the Board of Directors of Sporting SAD referring to the terms and conditions set out in the employment contract in force between the Company and the coach, specifically for the respective termination clause and for the amount of Euro 10,000,000.00;
"2. Manchester United FC expressed interest in paying Sporting SAD the value of the aforementioned clause."
Now, however, Portuguese newspaper O Jogo claim that Amorim's decision to leave Sporting just nine league matches into the new season hasn't gone down well.
Several of his players are said to have been 'angered', with two of them named.
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Star striker Viktor Gyokeres, who has been linked with a move to United himself, is one of them.
And Sporting star Morten Hjulmand is also aggrieved.
It's claimed both players were 'enticed' into staying with the Portuguese giants back in the summer when they were offered the chance to leave.
But their stance is unlikely to matter to Amorim, who is believed to be keen on the chance of steering United back to the dizzying heights of old.
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Amorim acknowledged that his players might be 'unhappy' if he leaves Sporting.
And he also confirmed on Tuesday night that he'd talked to his players about potentially leaving in order to 'get the elephant out of the room'.
"There was no talk of anything, it was just before the set pieces to get the elephant out of the room," he said.
"Before the statement was released, I explained to the players everything that was happening. There is nothing more to say.
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Ruben Amorim's Sporting Lisbon players Viktor Gyokeres and Morten Hjulmand are unhappy with his decision to join Man Utd
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"I don't interfere in the players' lives, but I am the coach, I spoke with the board to understand how to manage the squad.
"Without a doubt my players will be disappointed with me if I leave, but it's part of life. That happened in Braga, when I came.
"That happened a bit, because they were disappointed."
As for Ten Hag, it's unclear what the future holds for the 54-year-old.
Ruben Amorim is the frontrunner to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager
REUTERS
He reportedly considered resigning from United back in the summer, shortly after guiding the club to FA Cup glory.
A return to Ajax has been rumoured but Francesco Farioli is currently in charge of the Eredivisie side.
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