Ruben Amorim not prioritising return to management after Manchester United exit

Ruben Amorim is in no hurry to return to football management, according to reports, despite mounting speculation linking the former Manchester United boss with high-profile vacancies at Benfica, Juventus and the Portuguese national team.

The 39-year-old has been out of work since January, when he left Old Trafford midway through the season with a £12 million pay-off. Sources close to the coach say the break is deliberate, allowing him to decompress after a bruising 13-month spell in England that delivered only fleeting moments of promise.

Amorim’s record at United ultimately proved his undoing. Across 47 Premier League fixtures he collected just 15 wins – a 31.9 per cent success rate that ranks as the lowest of any permanent United manager in the Premier League era. Defensive numbers were equally stark: 72 goals conceded at an average of 1.53 per game, with only seven clean sheets kept in total.

Tactical rigidity was a recurring theme. The Portuguese remained wedded to a back-five shape for the vast majority of matches, a system that brought Europa League heartbreak against Tottenham in his first campaign and, earlier this season, a humiliating Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Grimsby Town. Although United averaged 1.40 goals for per league outing, the imbalance between attack and defence never stabilised.

Tensions reached a head after a 1-1 draw with Leeds United in early January, when Amorim’s public criticism of the club’s hierarchy accelerated the decision to part ways. Darren Fletcher stepped in for two interim matches before Michael Carrick assumed temporary control; Carrick has since lost only once in ten games, lifting United firmly into the Champions League qualification picture and sharpening the spotlight on his predecessor’s shortcomings.

Away from the dugout, Amorim has been seen on the padel court alongside Manchester City sporting director Hugo Viana, an image that underlines his relaxed approach to the immediate future. While European heavyweights circle, those close to the former Sporting CP coach insist he will wait for a project that matches his long-term vision rather than leap at the first opportunity.

His reputation remains intact in Lisbon, where he guided Sporting to a league title and two domestic cups, ensuring that when he does decide the time is right, suitors will not be in short supply. For now, however, a return to the touchline appears some way off.