Claims that Manchester United have already set their sights on a replacement for Ruben Amorim after a lukewarm start to the season have been rapidly downplayed, and with the Red Devils planning for the long term under the Portuguese and potentially opening the doors to a contract extension.
The Red Devils turned to the 40-year-old in the autumn of last year when Erik ten Hag began the 2024/25 campaign in rotten form. However, with Amorim unable to exert his influence on the club in quite the way expected, Manchester United finished the season in a woeful 15th place – their lowest ever in the Premier League era.
As such, the former Sporting CP coach, having been allowed to spend some £200m-plus this summer, will be expected to deliver this season and club chiefs will hope and expect the club to be at the very least challenging for the Champions League places once again.
Another lukewarm start to the season, though, has seen speculation cranked up once again over Amorim‘s future.
The United boss is now the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose their job, and defeat at Manchester City in Sunday’s Manchester derby will undoubtedly see that pressure dial turned up further.
So much so that an article, as covered by our sister site, Football365, have detailed that both Aston Villa’s Unai Emery and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner have both been identified as potential successors should the axe fall on Amorim.
However, it’s understood that Amorim still very much retains the faith of United’s board and that the club are not likely to rush into any sudden decisions.
Furthermore, there is an acceptance that his project will take time and that, as with all new signings, it will take some time for them to bed in and for consistent results to follow.
They do believe that, in time, he will get things right and their run to last season’s Europa League final – which saw some sizeable scaps, such as Athletic Bilbao taken along the way – show what he is capable of.
Sources insist they will continue to back his project until (if) the wheels fall well and truly off…
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Man Utd potentially planning for Ruben Amorim contract extension
Amorim’s contract at Old Trafford currently runs until 2027, with INEOS handing him a two and a half year deal upon his arrival in November 2024.
Come the end of the current campaign, that arrangement will have just a year left to run – meaning the club will soon be faced with a decision over what to do with their coach next.
While they do have a one-year option on that deal, effectively tying him down to summer 2028, United expert Mark Goldbridge insists the club are planning for the long term with Amorim and could look to hand him an extension should this season go well.
“Ruben Amorim’s contract runs until 2027. So in the summer, next May, he’ll have one year left on his contract,” Goldbridge revealed on the United Stand.
“No manager can go into their final year contract. Manchester United have an option for a further year. So effectively, if they want to, they could say next May: ‘We’re going to activate your contract.’ It’s basically two years left. Man United will do that unless there is a huge issue.
“They want to pin Amorim down for as long as possible. Now, if Man United were to finish eighth, handing him a new contract may not go down that well, so they’ll activate the plus one. But the long-term vision is to stick with Ruben Amrim.
“Now, what we’re hearing is if United had an amazing season, maybe finished fifth, maybe finished sixth, get back into Europe and do well, then there could be a new contract there because they feel in that climate, you could go: ‘There’s a three-year contract.’
“But they definitely want to extend that contract next year, even if it’s just by the plus one.
“If things go really badly, you probably get sacked next summer. But that’s not the plan at Man United. They are looking to at least extend it by another year, which would give him two years from next May.”
Man Utd latest: Onana finished at Old Trafford; five clubs chase all-time great
Meanwhile, United are banking on goalkeeper Andre Onana rediscovering his form during his season-long loan at Turkish club Trabzonspor, with the ultimate goal of sparking interest from potential buyers, TEAMtalk understands.
Either way, the Cameroon international looks unlikely to ever play for the club again and with his agents seemingly knowing the writing is on the wall.
Elsewhere, the quest for United to return among the Premier League forces has zeroed in on the engine room, with sources confirming to TEAMtalk the club’s intent to bolster their midfield with TWO high-profile signings – andAmorim and Co already know the dream duo, rated at a combined £160m, they would love to sign.
And finally, a second source has strongly suggested it’sgame over for an all-time great at Manchester United, and no fewer than FIVE clubs are already eyeing a 2026 swoop.
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