Man United relieved their head coach of his duties on Monday. The fact they occupy 14th in the table whilst experiencing a similarly lacklustre start in the Europa League doesn’t exactly make it a shock decision, though where that club in particular are concerned absolutely everything is under the spotlight.
Villa and 18 other clubs will be looking on as they watch their rivals name a replacement in the coming weeks, as it may end up having major repercussions on the battle for European qualification. For now, the early frontrunner seems to have been named as Amorim.
Once a player for Benfica and the Portuguese national team, he has rapidly transitioned into coaching and by the age of 39 has established a successful career in his homeland with Sporting CP. There he boasts a 71.7 percent win rate over four years, winning the Primera Liga twice.
Whilst yesterday he was asked within the hour of Ten Hag’s sacking and replied: “I was already expecting this question and obviously I’m not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I’ll always have to comment. I’m very proud to be Sporting coach, that’s all”. The current rumours are suggesting he is in fact willing to negotiate a mid-season move.
Before Man United required the services of a new manager it was the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur linked – a further testament to his recognition. Even Villa, when searching for a successor to Steven Gerrard, reportedly looked into the idea of Amorim’s appointment.
But at the time, he had only one snappy response to the rumours linking him to the club placed 17th in the English top-flight at the time he was engaged in a title fight in his homeland. Refusing to address the link directly, he told the press: “In relation to other clubs, I am Sporting’s coach and there is nothing to say on the matter, once again.”
Villa of course will never lose any sleep over this, given what Emery has achieved in such a relatively short spell in the West Midlands so far.
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