Why ‘master trash-talker’ Ruben Amorim is the polar opposite of Erik ten Hag, writes LEWIS STEELE, with Man United closing in on ‘the new Mourinho’

Skepticism is the polite way of describing the reaction of the local media when Ruben Amorim was appointed Sporting boss in 2020. Understandable, too, given he was a 35-year-old rookie with just 17 games of professional management on his CV.

To make matters worse for those of a green and white persuasion in Lisbon, he spent most of his playing career at city rivals Benfica. 

So it felt fair for reporters to question why this ‘coaching nobody’ – as one columnist put it – was seen as the man to solve Sporting’s problems.

‘Madness,’ read one headline, quoting Luis Figo’s verdict on the decision to fork out the third-highest fee ever paid for a boss. 

‘What will you do if it ends as badly as your predecessors,’ asked a reporter, noting they had gone through 16 managers in 19 years since their last league title.

Amorim was a 35-year-old rookie with just 17 games of professional management on his CV

Where Erik Ten Hag’s style often resembled a rabble, Amorim has a definite football identity

His reply was short but sweet. ‘And what if it goes well?,’ he said. 

In those six words, Amorim set his stall out for Sporting fans: confident – some may say arrogant – with dry wit. Above all, a shrewd communicator whose press duties are often as entertaining as the match.

Reading that last paragraph, you are probably thinking: ‘You can’t win anything in a press conference.’ 

Amorim would disagree. The former midfielder, described as a ‘master trash talker’ believes games begin not at the stadium on matchday, but in the media auditorium.

Sound familiar, Manchester United fans? 

‘For a manager, no matter the result, at a press conference you need to come out as the winner,’ Sir Alex Ferguson once said. ‘You can kill yourself in a press conference… it’s an important part of your job.’

Another familiarity might be Amorim’s idol Jose Mourinho, who himself has described his compatriot as ‘the new Mourinho’. The pair exchange texts regularly and Amorim has called him his ‘reference’ but added: ‘There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.’

Although they both have taken a leaf from Johan Cruyff’s book in terms of tactics – name a coach in Europe not impacted by Cruyff, to be fair – the departing Manchester United boss could not be more different from the man tipped to be his successor at Old Trafford. 

Portugal legend Luis Figo was one figure to be particularly critical when Amorin arrived

Like legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Amorim believes press conferences are crucial

Where Ten Hag’s style often resembled a rabble, Amorim has a definite football identity – more on that later. Where the Dutchman was accused of being a bumbler when speaking, Amorim is a master orator. Where Ten Hag created friction, Amorim is a specialist in uniting groups.

‘The best word to describe Ruben is genuine,’ one former colleague who now works elsewhere in Portugal tells Mail Sport. ‘He values relationships, makes everyone in the building feel heard from the team captain to office staff – it creates a winning mentality.

‘He is loud but never aggressive or rude. He is a leader and makes everyone feel like they are working with him, not below him. But his best (trait) is communicating, making everyone feel united and trusted.’

An expert on Portuguese football who has authored books on the topic, Tom Kundert, adds: ‘He has a remarkably jovial demeanour, even when the pressure is on. He’s one of these who fosters a superb spirit among the whole squad, that is the fruit of his communicative approach.

‘I cannot remember him ever criticising any of his players in public and I cannot recall one news story of an unhappy player. He will say things like, “We lost because I am a coach who is still inexperienced and is learning the trade”. He does a great job at swerving any controversies.’

Good, then, when noting that Old Trafford is a carousel of controversy. Due to the round-the-clock debates in British media, there is always one Premier League club they deem to be in crisis. United tend to be it, almost like they are magnetically pulled towards chaos.

Of course, Amorim does not have a magic wand. Plenty of talented managers have tried to crack it at United since Ferguson left – all have walked in the building brimming with confidence and left a shell of their former self.

There is also something to be said about why a man with two Portuguese titles to his name – given Porto and Benfica had a duopoly on the league for two decades, that is a bigger feat than it might sound – is still at Sporting. He must be doing something wrong in job interviews.

Liverpool, for example, were keen but pulled out. Barcelona looked at him this summer but did not push on, while he has been on Tottenham’s radar in the past. Some insiders have suspected his agent has played games with clubs and also with the media by planting false stories.

Amorim is said to be ‘wedded’ to his 3-4-3 formation which has a strong defensive core but also produced more than 100 goals last season, and his 29-year-old assistant Carlos Fernandes – described as ‘the Mourinho to Amorim’s Bobby Robson’ – is loud on the training pitch.

Amorim’s idol is Jose Mourinho, who himself described his compatriot as ‘the new Mourinho’

If he does move to United, Amorim will have to deal with the huge scrutiny United come under 

He sees his backroom staff as an extension of his principles and his right-hand men are similar with frantic gesticulating on the touchline. Amorim is ruthless with substitutions and not afraid to call out players for mistakes – passing backwards when vertical options are on is something he counts as an error.

Mail Sport attended a Lisbon Derby in April, when Sporting edged Benfica to all but win the title, and Amorim was asked about being dubbed ‘Mourinho 2.0’ to which he replied: ‘I’m just the Sporting coach, nothing more.’ 

He could soon be ‘just’ the coach of the world’s biggest club.