Manchester United have reportedly made enquiries about the availability of Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim despite still retaining some trust in Erik ten Hag.
United came from behind and beat Brentford 2-1 in their most recent Premier League game on Saturday afternoon, picking up their first win in their last six fixtures.
To their credit, the Red Devils have only lost once in that period, but the win only took them to 11th place in the table.
Rumours about the security of Ten Hag's job have been rife, especially in light of stories suggesting that the club actively sought out candidates to replace the Dutchman.
The Manchester Evening News report that Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg has said while Ten Hag is not without admirers in Manchester, the club want to be prepared for a potential premature departure and have contacted Sporting's Amorim, who has a release clause which is set to become active in the summer.
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Amorim's record in Portugal
If United were to move on from Ten Hag, Amorim could certainly prove to be a shrewd acquisition given his track record in Portugal.
Prior to his arrival in March 2020, Sporting's rivals Porto and Benfica had won 10 and seven of the last 17 league titles, but the Lions have won two of the five titles on offer since Amorim's appointment.
Sporting are Portugal's reigning champions, winning the league with 90 points from 34 matches in 2023-24, and are currently first with maximum points from eight top-flight games in 2024-25.
Not only does the Portuguese have an impressive league record, he has also won two Taca da Liga and one Supertaca Candido de Oliveira.
However, Amorim has been recently emerged as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, who are reportedly keen to ready themselves for life without the former Barcelona manager.
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Can Ten Hag keep his job?
With the Sporting boss linked to Manchester City, and Thomas Tuchel appointed manager of the England national team, it appears that the pool of possible candidates for the managerial position at Manchester United is shrinking.
This could be of benefit to Ten Hag, who has come under significant pressure this season following yet another summer of substantial investment into the squad, and yet more disappointing results.
In fact, United have averaged just 0.9 goals per game in the top flight, the fourth fewest of the 20 teams in the division.
Considering the Red Devils' poor showing this season, which follows their worst-ever placement in the Premier League in 2023-24, Ten Hag would arguably be fortunate to retain his current role unless the team's form improves significantly.
The Dutchman could remain in post simply because of a lack of available options on the market, but it seems that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are keen to at least keep the doors open for other candidates.
Lewis Nolan
