Joao Pereira played five Sporting CP matches under predecessor Ruben Amorim in the 2020/21 season
Joao Pereira (right) played five Sporting CP matches under predecessor Ruben Amorim in the 2020/21 season
Sporting CP are reportedly set to part company with Ruben Amorim’s successor just six weeks and eight games since his appointment.
Joao Pereira has overseen just three wins since his arrival, with the club’s five-point lead at the top of the Portuguese league table now vanished. Sporting’s defeats to Arsenal and Club Brugge have seen them slip out of the top eight of the Champions League standings and down to 17th with two group games to go.
Domestic outlet Record says the Liga NOS champions are set to sit down with their 40-year-old head coach after Christmas before making a concrete decision. It clarifies that his sacking has not yet been rubber-stamped, although the picture looks rather grim.
It is mooted that the club are looking to show Pereira the door in a suitable and respectful manager, albeit are also mindful of damage limitation. And so, he could be dismissed before the bumper clash with Benfica on December 29.
Meanwhile, Amorim has won four of his nine matches in charge of Manchester United since taking over during the November international break. Highlights include a 4-0 thrashing of Everton and the 2-1 smash-and-grab win over Manchester City.
However, recent defeats to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup and to Bournemouth on Sunday in the Premier League have outlined the huge task Amorim has on his hands.
Amorim will face fellow countryman and newly-appointed Wolves boss Vitor Pereira on Boxing Day as United try to rescue their league season, with the club sitting 13th going into Christmas.