Man Utd news LIVE: Ruben Amorim to be announced as new manager as Sporting CP play tonight

“He’s done amazing at Sporting, I was over in Portugal last year and got in a cab, a massive Sporting fan, who was going mad about how he’d turned them around,” Paul Merson tells Sky Sports.

“This will be different, they play against Porto and Benfica, that’s it. One of the biggest clubs in the world. This is where it’ll start.

“You win one, draw one, lose one, you’re under pressure. He comes with massive regard, he’s done brilliantly so far, but this is five steps up.”

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s win over Leicester City, Manchester United’s interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy told Sky Sports: “It’s been a hectic day, especially yesterday when the players came in after Erik had gone.

“We had to stabilise and go out for training, get back to work and bring them in today for a team talk about our opponents and especially ourselves.

“What it’s about to play at Old Trafford in front of these wonderful fans, who always support us. We want to give them a great night of football with possession and lots of attacks.

“That is what Manchester United is about, I tried to share that with the players and get them ready for game.”

It seems his team talk worked as United scored five past the Foxes with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes both scoring twice as they helped their side into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Will Van Nistelrooy have similar words of wisdom ahead of the weekend’s clash with Chelsea?

Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been left “devastated” and “completely ruined” by the sack from Old Trafford.

That’s according to one of his former teammates, Hans Kraay Jr, who played alongside the ex-United manager at De Graafschap.

As reported by Dutch outlet, Soccer News, Kraay said: “I understand that he is getting €17million and then people say: ‘he will go somersaulting through Manchester’. No, he is completely, completely devastated, he is completely ruined. At the moment you don’t think about money.”

Ten Hag left the Red Devils languishing in 14th in the Premier League despite spending £200m on players.

Asked if he is happy to remain in interim charge as negotiations for Ruben Amorim continue, Man United interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy told Sky Sports: “Of course – I came here as an assistant to help the club.

“Now in this role I’m helping as long as I’m needed. And in the future in any capacity, I’m here to help the club further, to build towards the future and that’s what I’m here for.”

Amorim’s coaching set-up is among the matters being discussed and Van Nistelrooy, who returned to United in the summer as one of Ten Hag’s assistants, indicated he would like to be part of it.

Pushed on whether he wants to be part of the new backroom team at United, the former striker said: “As I said, I’m here to help, I’m here to serve, I’m here to give my everything for the club in any capacity with so many people here around me that want the best for the club and that will never change.”

United have been in talks with Sporting CP this week about prising the highly regarded manager away from the Portuguese champions, after sacking Erik ten Hag on Monday.

Sporting are holding out for a total compensation package that could top €15m as United seek to bring in two of Amorim’s assistants, Carlos Fernandes and Adelio Candido, as part of the deal.

Ruben Amorim said the “soap opera” about his future is ending as he suggested his move to Manchester United will be announced on Friday evening.

United will activate the 39-year-old’s £8.3m release clause with Sporting Lisbon but they are negotiating with the Portuguese champions to ensure Amorim does not have to serve a 30-day notice period, while they also want to agree terms to bring his backroom staff to Old Trafford.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has promised to stay in interim charge at Old Trafford as long as needed while the details are sorted

Jose Mourinho believes Manchester United are hiring the “best coach in Portugal”.

That’s according to the Manchester Evening News, which recalls how Amorim visited United’s Carrington training complex when Mourinho was manager in April 2018 for an internship. Amorim had started a postgraduate degree at the University of Lisbon and Mourinho was a coordinator and lecturer on its high performance coaching course.

Amorim, Mourinho remembers, was a “good kid” who sticks to his preferred style of play whatever the opposition, and who is “always intense”.

“Without a doubt, without a doubt,” Amorim admits when asked if his players would be mad with him for leaving. “But I don’t interfere in the players’ lives. Now I talk to the players, because I’m Sporting coach. I want to do well for the group.

“I talked to the board about how we are going to manage the squad. But without a doubt my players will be, if I leave, they will be disappointed in me and sad with me. But it’s part of life.

“That happened with me already in Braga. When I came from Braga, from Braga’s stability to here, that happened a little.

“And they were a little disappointed, because they really believed that we were building something special. But then things happen that change people’s lives. And so, it’s a difficult situation.

“I can’t give you more than that. I understand that the players are even disappointed, sad. But I have to live with it. And the important thing is that we reach the end and know how to explain everything.

“Whether people understand it or not, the important thing is to come forward and explain it. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s win over Leicester City, Manchester United’s interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy told Sky Sports: “It’s been a hectic day, especially yesterday when the players came in after Erik had gone.

“We had to stabilise and go out for training, get back to work and bring them in today for a team talk about our opponents and especially ourselves.

“What it’s about to play at Old Trafford in front of these wonderful fans, who always support us. We want to give them a great night of football with possession and lots of attacks.

“That is what Manchester United is about, I tried to share that with the players and get them ready for game.”

It seems his team talk worked as United scored five past the Foxes with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes both scoring twice as they helped their side into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Will Van Nistelrooy have similar words of wisdom ahead of the weekend’s clash with Chelsea?

Sporting coach Ruben Amorim says he will talk more about potentially becoming the new Manchester United boss after Sporting’s match with Estrela tomorrow.

He said: “I know you travelled here to talk about it and that’s natural, but we’ll leave that until the end of the game [when] I’ll talk about all these issues. Right now I want the team to focus and me too.

“I promise I’ll talk about it at the end of the game [on Friday] and everything will be clearer. By talking now, it’s destabilising the squad further.

“Right now, the focus is on Estrela da Amadora. As for doing things differently, I wouldn’t. I didn’t control any of the situation.”