Man United had Ruben Amorim on radar 'during international break' to replace Erik ten Hag

Manchester United had their sights set on weeks before giving the sack.

Ten Hag was shown the door less than a day following . But behind the scenes, the Red Devils were already courting the ex-Sporting Lisbon manager.

They had been considering a change of manager for many weeks, but wanted to have a plan in place for the day the plug was pulled. During their research, they realised Amorim, who led his team to a in his final home game, was within their reach.

Once they confirmed the possibility of appointing the 39-year-old quickly was realistic, they dismissed Ten Hag after more than two seasons at Old Trafford.

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On the, journalist David Ornstein revealed that United were aware of Amorim's availability "a couple of weeks" before they dismissed Ten Hag. United agreed to pay Amorim's £8.3 million release clause two days after Ten Hag's sacking.

The Portuguese boss would be officially confirmed as the next manager on November 1. Sporting's victory over City was his final home match in charge, but he still has to take his side to former employers Braga for his final match.

Meanwhile, Ruud van Nistelrooy is gearing up for his final two games as interim manager. The Dutchman will be in the dugout for the visits of PAOK Athens and City.

Amorim will oversee his first United match on November 24, when United head to East Anglia to face Ipswich Town, after the international break. His final home clash for Sporting proved to be an emotional occasion.

He was serenaded by cheers from his home fans and a gigantic banner which read "Thank you Ruben" in Portuguese. gave City a first-half lead, before Viktor Gyokeres pulled one back seven minutes before half-time.

The former Coventry City forward would go on to score two goals from the penalty spot to complete his hat-trick, after Maximiliano Araujo gave the home side the lead in the first minute of the second half. It's a result that would leave United fans salivating.

However, Amorim was quick to bring a degree of realism to their mood, suggesting his Lisbon side and United are two completely different beasts. After the match, he said: "What I can tell you is that this [result] doesn't mean anything in particular - don't take anything from this.

"We cannot transport one reality to another. cannot play the way we play and we will have to adapt.

"It's misleading, we were very lucky today. But the feeling with my players, the way they celebrate with the fans was very special. I take this with me but when I arrive to the it is a different , different pressure. It will be fun, very fun, and I'm ready for the challenge".

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