Despite Manchester United manager-elect Ruben Amorim having been considered by Liverpool to succeed Jurgen Klopp, the club looked elsewhere due to concerns about his flexibility, Reds expert David Lynch has claimed.
After news of Erik ten Hag's dismissal broke on Monday, Sporting Lisbon boss Amorim quickly emerged as the leading contender to take over from the Dutchman.
The Portuguese has enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Sporting, overcoming giants Benfica and Porto to win two league titles, and his success naturally meant his name cropped up in discussions about potential replacements for Klopp at Liverpool as well as Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
However, the Reds eventually appointed Arne Slot and it is fair to say that the Dutchman has exceeded expectations, winning 11 of his 13 games in charge so far.
Some have claimed that Amorim was Liverpool's first-choice candidate and in managing to secure the Sporting boss's signature, United will have added an exceptional young manager to their ranks, but Lynch noted that there are concerns regarding the Portuguese, telling Sports Mole: "You had high hopes around Arne Slot coming in this summer that he would be the right man because Liverpool are good at picking managers. If you apply that logic to Manchester United, who've been so terrible at signing players in recent years, then you worry for them again. Are they going to get this appointment wrong?
"One thing that is helpful for [United] with Amorim is that at least Liverpool did have a look at him, but then again your other concern is there's a reason that Liverpool didn't go down that route.
""There were talks there with his representatives didn't go much further than that. I believe Amorim was quite wedded to his three at the back, and his system is very, very specific in how he plays it, whereas Slot showed a little bit more flexibility. It felt like a better fit for what Liverpool had squad-wise, but that flexibility was also a big help as well. That was a crucial factor, as far as I understand it."
"Graveyard" for managers
One of the reasons Slot was identified as an ideal successor to Klopp was that his style of play was seen as somewhat compatible with the team that had been assembled under the German, and the disruption of transitioning from Klopp to Slot would be kept to a minimum.
As for Amorim, Lynch has suggested that United will find transitioning from Ten Hag to the Portuguese troublesome, with the poor environment at the club likely to make his job far more challenging.
"Maybe [United] think, 'well, we can rebuild this squad as a three-at-the-back squad. We can make tweaks in the right areas and he will be a good fit'. But I suspect there's probably some short-term pain there as they look to do that.
"And also on top of that, the recruitment has just got to be better than it has been. It's not just about identifying people who fit in with that system, they've got to be actually good players who improve the team.
"That's going to be one of the things that Amorim will struggle with, but I think as a baseline, a manager who's improved the team, over-performed his budget there, he absolutely is that. He's keen to come. Obviously, he wants to take on the job, so that's helpful.
"It has become a bit of a graveyard for managers. If the concerns about his three-at-the-back system and the fact he's so wedded to that, if they can be overcome and he's still a good enough manager to make it work, he's still got to outrun the fact that recruitment is so poor. All that has got to improve, so there are a few tests there, along with the change of manager."
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United not "out of the woods"
Amorim's imminent appointment at United will no doubt raise expectations among fans, with the Portuguese manager expected to be given significant funds over the course of his tenure at Old Trafford, just as Ten Hag was.
Lynch acknowledged that sacking the former Red Devils boss was in all likelihood a step in the right direction, but he does not believe that Amorim's arrival will necessarily see the club competing with teams such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
"I'm always sceptical [about Man United arrivals]. It's like speaking about Brighton's recruitment and how good it is, and if they're good at recruiting players they'll be good at recruiting managers.
"I don't think Manchester United are out of the woods with that yet. I've still got a few question marks over it and things that they have to sort out. But I think as a starting point, sacking Ten Hag is not bad and Amorim looks, on paper, a decent appointment.
"But as I say, quite a few question marks other than that. We'll see how that plays out."
Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to take charge of the team on Wednesday against Leicester City in the EFL Cup, but should Amorim's appointment be confirmed soon, the Portuguese could lead United out against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
Lewis Nolan
