“I had something in my mind” – Ruben Amorim opens up on links to Manchester City manager job | OneFootball

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has commented on reports earlier this year linking him with the possibility of succeeding Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The Catalan coach ultimately brought an end to months of uncertainty by extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium through until the summer of 2027, with a two-year extension to a contract that was originally due to expire at the end of the ongoing campaign.

Prior to official confirmation from the club, various reports across European media were speculating as to who could succeed Guardiola as the next Manchester City manager, with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and Bayern Munich’s Vincent Kompany mentioned.

One other name to have been reported was the now-former Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim, largely due to Hugo Viana agreeing to a move to the Etihad Stadium himself, having worked with the 39-year-old in the position of sporting director at the Lisbon club.

While the pair remain close friends, Amorim would move swiftly to agree to an approach from Manchester United to succeed Erik ten Hag, following the Dutchman’s dismissal in the Autumn of this season.

Quizzed ahead of the Manchester derby on reports speculating over possible contact from the Premier League champions, Amorim explained, “Never. I never heard from them (Manchester City). This (Manchester United) was my only option.”

The Portuguese tactician continued, “When Manchester United talked, I had no doubts. I had already something in my mind that could be a possibility. With Manchester City or Hugo Viana, nothing about that.”

Looking ahead directly towards this weekend’s meeting with Manchester City and whether Pep Guardiola’s side are currently weaker, Ruben Amorim was keen to play down such a suggestion and insist that a reaction from the Etihad club could come at any given moment.

“No, no, no, no. The great teams can respond in any moment and I think they are in a better place than us in understanding the game, the way they play, the confidence,” the 39-year-old stressed to reporters.

Manchester City come into the contest with a heavily depleted defence as all of Nathan Ake, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Rico Lewis are expected to be ruled out through injury and suspension, whilst Rodri and Oscar Bobb remain the longer-term absentees.