Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi reportedly led a list of six candidates to manage Manchester United before they changed tack and appointed Ruben Amorim.
The northern giants were eager to prioritise Premier League experience before hearing that the Portuguese was ‘football’s next great coach’.
This was back in May 2024, just before Erik ten Hag won them the FA Cup final, and they eventually gave the Dutchman a contract extension before replacing him with Amorim in November.
Amorim has nearly had a year in the hot seat but things could have turned out very differently, because United did actually make moves to bring in other names.
Tuchel, De Zerbi, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank, Marco Silva, and Graham Potter were all on the shortlist, according to The Athletic.
United started to speak with those individuals, either in person or online, even after they had won the FA Cup, as Ten Hag’s future hung in the balance.
Director of football Jason Wilcox did get in touch with Amorim, and was left impressed by him, but the feeling at Old Trafford was that the jump from Sporting Lisbon to a club in transition would be too great.
Tuchel met with club chiefs in Monaco but was eager to take a break from the club after leaving Bayern Munich and, in mid-October, was announced as England’s next head coach.
The Athletic also writes that a proposal was made to De Zerbi, who had left Brighton, but he snubbed their approach for financial reasons. In July 2024 he was hired as manager of Marseille.
Another European talent was also identified. Thiago Motta, who had impressed at Bologna and was soon to join Juventus, was seen as another rising talent alongside Amorim.
In the end, as we know, United opted for Amorim. His record in Portugal spoke for itself – two league titles with Sporting Lisbon, three domestic cups, a win percentage of 71 per cent. It was hard to find a young coach on the continent with more hype.
United were convinced of his merits after a five-hour meeting in Seville, southern Spain, on October 18, during which he laid out his vision.
As per The Athletic, Amorim expressed hesitancy multiple times about taking over the job in mid-season.
‘Why now?’ he asked. ‘Why not at the end of the season?’
After being confirmed as the new boss, he said to reporters in Portugal: ‘I was told it was now or never. I had three days to make my mind up.
‘A decision that would radically change my life. I’ve had other opportunities. The president and [Hugo] Viana can confirm this. This is not the first or second time I have been requested.
‘After Sporting, I wanted Manchester. There’s a time I have to take a step forward. It was hard. I had to do this.
‘I don’t want to victimise myself. The only one in no-man’s land was me. I didn’t say it before because it had to be agreed between the clubs.’
He continued: ‘There was a club that said if I rejected it now, in six months I wouldn’t get it and in six months I knew I would leave Sporting.
‘I didn’t want to regret not making this decision. I know this was sad for Sporting fans. I go home happier because I have explained.
‘People say it’s about the team. There was another team that wanted me before and they paid 3 times more than Manchester.
‘I gave all I could to Sporting. I love this club, the people, and the staff but I had to make a decision.
‘Shall I stay or go? My choice was to go now because I was told it was now or never and I had to make my choice.’
Amorim has had a bruising time at Old Trafford. Many times he has spoken of suffering and it reached a nadir in January when he described his team as ‘maybe the worst’ in the club’s 147-year history.
But things are looking up, somewhat, after a run of three wins and a draw in the Premier League to haul them up to eighth.
