Ruben Amorim’s next potential job after Manchester United would be a huge step down

Less than a season after arriving at Old Trafford with a burgeoning reputation, Ruben Amorim is being linked with a managerial vacancy at Vasco da Gama—an offer that would represent a steep drop from the Premier League spotlight and, perhaps more tellingly, place him behind a 78-year-old coach who has not taken charge of a professional club in more than a decade.

Amorim’s turbulent tenure at Manchester United ended with the club in the hands of interim boss Michael Carrick, himself a former United midfielder, who has quickly restored belief that Champions League qualification remains achievable. The contrast between Carrick’s early impact and Amorim’s final weeks has intensified scrutiny of the Portuguese coach, whose stubborn tactical approach yielded poor results and eroded confidence inside the dressing room.

According to VDG-Cast, a Vasco da Gama-focused outlet, Amorim features on the Brazilian club’s shortlist, but only as the second choice. Ahead of him sits Artur Jorge, the veteran Portuguese tactician absent from club management for over ten years yet still preferred by the Rio de Janeiro side. The hierarchy underscores how far Amorim’s stock has fallen since leaving Sporting CP, where impressive recruitment masked lingering doubts over his coaching acumen.

United’s recent history offers little encouragement for Amorim’s prospects either. Erik ten Hag, another high-profile appointment who struggled at Old Trafford, lasted mere days at Bayer Leverkusen before the Bundesliga outfit dismissed him for alienating players and staff with outdated methods and abrasive man-management. The pattern suggests that coaches who fail to adapt to the demands of a top-tier European environment face an uphill battle rehabilitating their careers.

For Amorim, the Vasco da Gama link is the first concrete indication of where his career might resume. Yet the possibility of moving from one of England’s biggest clubs to a Campeonato Brasileiro side—without even top-candidate status—highlights the severity of his fall and the questions now surrounding his credentials at the elite level.