Manchester City strongly considering Sporting’s Ruben Amorim as next manager | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City are reportedly ‘strongly considering’ making Sporting’s Ruben Amorim their next manager.

Those at the Etihad Stadium are insistent on ensuring that the club has a strong contingency plan in place should they be faced with the prospect of parting ways with Pep Guardiola at the end of the ongoing season.

The legendary 53-year-old tactician, who has brought the most successful period to Manchester City in the club’s history, is firmly into the final year of his contract and is yet to give a clear indication as to whether he wishes to extend his terms.

The dilemma facing all parties coincides with another major change within the organisation, as long-standing Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain is confirmed to be leaving the club next summer after a 12-year stay in his role.

Manchester City have already confirmed their successor to such a hugely influential figure on the club’s success, having reached an agreement on terms with Sporting CP’s 41-year-old director, Hugo Viana to join the club from early 2025.

Now, prior to Viana’s official arrival at the club and his adoption of the role of Director of Football from next summer, reports are circulating as to who Manchester City could turn towards under the former Newcastle man should Pep Guardiola leave his own role.

According to the information of The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Manchester City are now ‘strongly considering’ Sporting CP’s head coach, Rúben Amorim as their next manager, should Pep Guardiola leave the club at the end of the season.

The 39-year-old has been on the radar of numerous top clubs within the English game following a stellar spell in charge of Sporting to date, most notably having been in the running to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and having had discussions with Chelsea in recent years.

However, the most recent concrete link to the English game came at the end of last season, as Amorim travelled to London to hold talks with West Ham as they replaced David Moyes, only for the Portuguese head coach to return to his home country without an agreement.

That jaunt mid-season forced an apology out of Ruben Amorim, who felt it necessary having deemed it disrespectful to be planning his next steps within the game ahead of a crunch clash for Sporting against FC Porto at the time.

Pep Guardiola has spoken highly of Amorim on multiple occasions, and particularly in the lead up to their meeting in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League during the 2021/22 season.

Guardiola said of the Sporting coach at the time, “Maybe I get advice for him. His career is going well, his personality, the way they play. The minute one, try to win. I’m sure he’s excited and hopefully he can be excited after 14 years to travel to the Champions League last-16.”

One year later, Guardiola reflected on Sporting once again and the coaching abilities and talents of Amorim, “They won the Portuguese league!

“Their manager [Ruben Amorim] is one of the best at the moment. His team is really good. But… pft, Sporting Lisboa. Do you know what happened there? Five shots on target, five chances, five goals. 100%. ‘How good is the manager?'”