Inside the mind of The Special One – Mk II: Europe’s most-wanted manager Ruben Amorim is now Man United’s No 1 choice to replace Erik ten Hag… and he loves trash-talking just like his idol Jose Mourinho

Madness.

That was the word that filled the conversations and the back pages when Sporting Clube De Portugal announced they were taking a risk on a young coach from Braga, only four years ago.

Why had the capital club, one of Portugal’s Big Three along with Porto and Lisbon rivals Benfica, paid more than €10million in compensation, at the time the third-highest fee ever paid for a manager, for a 35-year-old with less than six months of top-level experience? Welcome to the fast lane, Ruben Amorim.

Back then, the outrage was led by Portuguese football icon Luis Figo, who acknowledged that the Jose Alvalade Stadium had often been a graveyard for managers and dubbed the decision to hire rookie Amorim as ‘loucura’.

Four years on, the only madness around Amorim is that he is not yet at one of Europe’s Continental giants. He will be soon.

The duo, pictured during a pre-season friendly in July 2022, have regular conversations

It was reported on Monday that United were working on a deal for Amorim to replace Ten Hag

When Amorim was linked with the Liverpool job earlier this year, he scored high on data tests led by the Reds and was considering a leading candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp.

It was reported at the time that Amorim excelled on expected goals metrics (xG) and data showed he is overperforming with a limited budget compared to Benfica and Porto, with the Reds having had scouts at several Sporting matches.

The job ultimately went to Arne Slot, but Amorim has been linked to roles at Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Man City, West Ham and even United earlier this year, meaning it has felt like a matter of time until he makes the move. 

In a fascinating continent-wide scrap for new managers, if United do hire Amorim they will have to pay a hefty compensation fee which Portuguese sources tell Mail Sport would be a world-record figure for a coach. So… what is so special about the new special one?

Amorim was asked if City boss Pep Guardiola was his reference point and, while he did say the Catalan was the best current coach in the world, he answered by saying: ‘My reference has always been Mourinho.’

He attended a coaching course at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon which had sessions led by Mourinho alongside Antonio Veloso, who won seven league titles with Benfica in the 1980s.

The pair stayed in touch, though the relationship is said to have evolved away from a master-and-apprentice hierarchy. When Amorim’s Sporting knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League in 2023, his compatriot was quick to WhatsApp him a congratulatory message.

‘The old and the new Mourinho are still in the competition,’ joked the then-Roma boss. When quizzed on the pair’s similarities, Amorim said of his idol: ‘Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.’

Amorim (left) pictured playing for Benfica against Arsenal at the Emirates in August 2014

Ten Hag’s former assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken interim charge at Old Trafford

The 39-year-old Portuguese is one of the most sought-after coaches in world football

Everyone who knows Amorim and his journey well, from former colleagues to Portuguese football experts, cite his unique tactics and motivational speeches. But above all, they talk about his personality.

‘The best word to describe Ruben is genuine,’ says one former colleague who asked to remain anonymous as he works for another club. ‘He values relationships, makes everyone in the building feel heard from the team captain to office staff – it creates a winning mentality.

‘He is loud but never aggressive or rude. He is a leader and makes everyone feel like they are working with him, not below him. But his best (trait) is communicating, making everyone feel united and trusted.’

There is a social media page dedicated as a countdown to Amorim’s next press conference. Like his idol Jose Mourinho, Amorim thinks that matches do not start when the two teams walk on to the pitch but instead in his news briefings, when he is assertive with his words.

Some have described him as a ‘master trash-talker’ to try to get one up on his opposite number the day before games, but players are said to tune in and hang on his every word. His words might wind up rivals but they inspire Sporting’s stars.

‘He’s a brilliant communicator,’ says Tom Kundert, a Portuguese football expert who has written two books and runs the website PortuGOAL. ‘He’s very open in press conferences, happy to respond to all questions – even the stupid ones – with an informative answer.

‘And he also retains a remarkably jovial demeanour, even when the pressure is on. He’s one of these coaches who fosters a superb spirit among the whole squad, and that is no doubt the fruit of his communicative approach.

‘In five years as a coach, I cannot remember him ever criticising any of his players in public and I cannot recall one news story of an unhappy player. When things do go wrong for Sporting, which has not happened much under Amorim, he shifts all the focus on himself.

‘He will say things like, “We lost because Sporting have a coach who is still inexperienced and is learning the trade and who got it wrong today”. Overall, he has a very affable personality and generally does a great job at swerving any controversies or spats with rival managers.’

Sources in Lisbon have suggested Amorim loves life at Sporting and the offer would have to be ‘perfect’ to tempt him to move abroad, after already holding talks with Tottenham when Antonio Conte departed in spring 2023.

‘I’ve seen many coaches move to other leagues and not be happier,’ he said in an interview with Diario de Noticias last summer. ‘I want to value what I have. I’ve had contacts with other clubs, Sporting knows, but I always wanted to stay because I like being here.

Amorim (centre) has won two league title with Sporting since taking over the club in 2020

Amorim’s communication is widely hailed and his press conferences are brilliant to watch

‘If I ever have to leave here, either because I was pushed out with white handkerchiefs, or because I went to another club, it will happen. But being here doing my part, I won’t be opening the door and leaving it ajar, because I think Sporting deserves respect.’

Interestingly, Amorim’s management career got off to a significant false start. After a playing career that involved a decade at Benfica and 14 Portugal caps, he began his second life of coaching at lower-league Lisbon club Casa Pia.

But Amorim did not have the necessary coaching badges so was briefly suspended from management and forced to resign. Casa Pia were docked six points, though they still gained promotion that season, a testament to the foundations laid by their rookie, unlicenced coach.

People close to Amorim suggest that he was furious at that and nearly gave up the gig altogether, but quickly calmed down and set in motion a trail of events that has led him to becoming one of Europe’s most wanted, via Braga’s B team and then their senior side.

Amorim’s greatest achievement in management was leading Sporting to their first league title in 19 years in 2021 and the club triumphed again last season.

‘He proved the doubters wrong by making Sporting a recognisable force again,’ says Zach Lowy, a European football expert. ‘They had been also-rans for the entire century, so to end the Porto and Benfica duopoly and win their first title in 19 years, it’s massive.’

The 39-year-old has seen plenty of star players depart Sporting during his time there – including Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes, Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Tottenham’s Pedro Porro – but has constantly rebuilt a winning team.

Amorim deploys a 3-4-3 system and is said to be stubborn – in a good way – about his tactical approach, never moving away from what he views as the right way to play football. ‘He is married to the 3-4-3,’ adds Kundert.

‘It is interesting that it is viewed by some as a somewhat defensive formation, with the wing-backs often sitting back to form a five-man defence, and in the title-winning season Sporting’s triumph was certainly built on a watertight defence.

Amorim is loved by Sporting’s fans and it is believed that he loves life with the club too

Amorim is wedded to the 3-4-3 system, but that doesn’t mean he plays defensive football

‘It has slight nuances in the attacking third, but he will never abdicate from the three-at-the-back system. The wing-backs are often extremely attack-minded, especially Pedro Porro on the right who was a fundamental part of Sporting’s offensive game plan under Amorim. But it can also be an extremely offensive system.

Wherever he goes, Amorim would likely demand his coaching team follows. One, 29-year-old Carlos Fernandes, is described as ‘the Mourinho to Amorim’s Bobby Robson’. After winning the title the first time around, he was winged by all of his staffing team in his post-match press conference.

Amorim is definitely admired by several top clubs across the continent and while he might not be as outspoken as Mourinho, it feels like the Special One 2.0 is heading for Europe’s elite.