Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim said Tuesday his future “hasn’t been decided yet” amid interest from Manchester United.
“Nobody knows if this was my farewell match, or if there will be a farewell match,” Amorim said in quotes reported by Portugal’s sports daily A Bola after Sporting’s 3-1 win over Nacional in the Portuguese League Cup quarterfinals.
Hours earlier, Sporting released a statement to the Lisbon Stock Exchange, saying it has told United that Amorim has a release clause worth 10 million euros ($10.8 million) in his contract.
The Portuguese champions said United “has shown interest” in paying that amount for Amorim.
United is looking to replace Erik ten Hag, who was fired on Monday with the team languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.
Ten Hag was the 20-time English champions’ fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. United hasn’t won the league since Ferguson’s departure.
The 39-year-old Amorim has coached Sporting since 2020, leading the team to Portuguese league titles in 2021 and last season.
Sporting leads the league this season, too, having won all nine of its games, bolstering Amorim’s reputation as one of Europe’s most talented coaches.
He reportedly held talks with West Ham last season and was linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before Arne Slot was hired.
Amorim is a former Portugal midfielder who spent the majority of his club career at Benfica.
His contract at Sporting expires in 2026.
Ten Hag’s assistant at United, Ruud van Nistelrooy, will take interim control of the team for Wednesday’s English League Cup match against Leicester at Old Trafford.