Rúben Amorim is set to take charge of Manchester United during the November international break, sources confirmed to ESPN.
United and the Portuguese champions Sporting CP have made significant progress on an agreement for the departure of their head coach to the Premier League club.
Amorim is set to succeed Erik ten Hag, who was sacked on Monday, as head coach at Old Trafford and would be the sixth permanent appointment in the role since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
Sources told ESPN that United have triggered the former Braga coach’s 10 million ($10.87m) release clause at Sporting, and the English club will also pay compensation to enable a number of Amorim’s backroom staff to join him at Old Trafford.
But with the terms of Amorim’s contract at Sporting including a 30-day notice period, sources have told ESPN that United will be forced to wait until mid-November for Amorim to formally take charge of the team following Sporting’s league game away to Braga on Nov. 10.
As a consequence, Amorim will also take charge of Sporting’s home game against Estrela on Friday and next Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Manchester City, which will be his final home game at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
ESPN sources said that Ruud van Nistelrooy, who guided United to a 5-2 Carabao Cup fourth round win against Leicester City in his first game as interim head coach on Wednesday, will take charge of the team’s next three games — all at Old Trafford — against Chelsea, PAOK Thessaloniki and Leicester again before handing over the reins to Amorim.
Amorim’s first game in charge will be the Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Nov 24, sources told ESPN.
United are 14th in the Premier League having won just three of their opening nine games.