Man United managerial target Ruben Amorim 'suffers early transfer blow'

The 20-time English champions made the decision to sack Erik ten Hag as head coach on Monday, and Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim is the leading candidate to replace the Dutchman at the helm.

Amorim refused to reveal whether he was on his way to Man United when speaking after Sporting's clash with Nacional in the Taca da Liga on Tuesday night, but it is understood that he has verbally agreed to take charge of the Red Devils.

Man United are willing to pay the €10m (£8.3m) release clause for his services, meanwhile, so it is expected that his move to Old Trafford will be confirmed in the near future.

Amorim allegedly wants to bring three Sporting stars with him to the club, but according to The Guardian, the Portuguese will only have a limited budget to improve the squad during the January transfer window.

Man United will only have a 'limited January transfer budget'

The report claims that 'there is only modest finance' for the winter market due to the club's summer business, which saw Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte all arrive.

De Ligt and Mazraoui have made a positive impression at Man United this season, but Yoro is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, having fractured a metatarsal in a pre-season clash with Arsenal at the end of July.

Zirkzee has only managed one goal since his arrival from Bologna, though, while Ugarte has found it difficult to adapt to English football in the early stages of his time with the 20-time English champions.

Amorim has largely played a 3-4-3 formation at Sporting, and it is expected that he will look to implement that at Man United, which is likely to lead to a number of new players arriving in 2025.

Man United are likely to have to make a big sale next summer in order to balance the books, and it is believed that Marcus Rashford could still fetch in the region of £60m despite his ongoing struggles for the 20-time English champions.