“My only option” – Ruben Amorim insists joining Man Utd’s arch rivals was never on the table | OneFootball

Ahead of Sunday’s big Derby, some had suggested that Ruben Amorim could have easily ended on the opposite side of the city.

The 39-year-old rose to fame during his incredible spell at Sporting CP, so Manchester United turned to his services after deciding to wield the axe on Erik ten Hag’s disappointed tenure in October.

But before arriving at Carrington, there had been some speculations linking the young tactician to Manchester City.

During his time in the Portuguese capital, Amorim built a strong rapport with Sporting CP’s Director of Football Hugo Viana who is set to replace Txiki Begiristain at Man City starting next season.

So while Amorim had been tipped to reunite with his old collaborator at the Etihad Stadium, the manager insisted it was mere speculation, as joining the Cityzens was never a concrete possibility.

“We never had [a conversation]. This was my only option,” said the Portuguese manager via Sky Sports.

“When Manchester United talked to me, I had no doubts because I already had something in my mind that it could be a possibility. With Manchester City or Hugo Viana, there was none of it.”

Ruben Amorin insists he was never close to joining Man City

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 01: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, looks on as he walks towards the tunnel at half-time during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Everton FC at Old Trafford on December 01, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

On another note, Amorim lamented the two clubs’ current miserable league status which ruined the Derby feel.

“I don’t really focus on the details. I just want to improve the team. I can’t live it like a normal derby, like it should be where there are two great teams fighting for the title.

“It’s not like that at the moment so it is just one more game against a very good opponent.

“Both teams are struggling at this moment and I hope in the future it can have that real feeling of a derby.

“I know that it is really important for our fans but my goal now is to improve the team by winning games. We’ll try to win this game.

“The great teams can respond at any moment. They are in a better place than us in terms of their understanding of the game, the way they play and the confidence they have – even in these kinds of moments.

“We have a lot to focus on in our team, so of course we will have a strategy and we’ll try to win the game with it.”

Amorim also defended Andre Onana who committed a howler against Viktoria Plzen, allowing the Czech side to take the lead in Thursday’s Europa League contest.

“We have to take it as it is. He’s had a situation like this in the past so we have to work on this.

“We’re trying to build up a lot with the goalkeeper, making the bounce [pass] with Matthijs [de Ligt] a lot of times. On this occasion, we had a disconnect during the play.

“We suffered a difficult goal but we managed to recover.”

The Red Devils eventually prevailed thanks to two goals off the bench from Rasmus Hojlund.