BETTER GET USED TO THOSE BARS, KID
Relatively unknown outside his native country? Tick. Domestic success in a league to which few if any English fans pay much attention? Tick. A proven ability to improve young players in his charge so the club can move them on for inflated fees? Tick. A reputation for playing attractive football on the front foot? Tick. As the assorted qualities Rúben Amorim is expected to bring to Manchester United when his appointment is finalised continue to be talked up, Football Daily can’t help but notice that the only obvious difference between the Sporting manager and the hapless Dutchman he is being brought in to replace is a full head of thick, dark hair.
Since news broke of United’s interest in Amorim, assorted media outlets have been dutifully falling over themselves to help readers, viewers and listeners get to know the handsome 39-year-old Portuguese. He drives a Porsche, he keeps fit by kickboxing, his wife, Maria, is a qualified engineer and his preferred formation is 3-4-3. As is customary when a new manager is about to take over at a Big Club, the contents of his hypothetical Old Trafford “inbox” have been forensically examined, while assorted amateur backseat gaffers have picked what they envisage as his first-choice Manchester United team. In pretty much every regard, Amorim’s appointment is being presented as a fait accompli apart from one minor snag: he hasn’t actually said he wants or is going to accept the job.
Of course the world moves quickly, money talks and things get done, so if in the time that has elapsed between the preceding 273 words being written and this edition of Football Daily slithering apologetically into your inbox that particular state of affairs has changed, feel free to disregard the rest of this drivel and skip straight through to Quote of the Day. Otherwise feel free to mull over the fact that there’s still a chance Big Sir Jim, Call Me Dave and assorted marginal gains merchants from the Ineos Brains Trust could still suffer the acute embarrassment of having their very public approach for Erik ten Hag’s replacement turned down.
After Sporting’s statement confirming United’s willingness to pony up the £8.5m compensation required to buy Amorim out of his contract, their manager announced the decision over whether or not to take the gig will be his and his alone. “Everything will be clear in a few days time,” he said during his post-match press conference after Sporting’s Portuguese League Cup win over Nacional last night, an event in which questions about Sporting’s Portuguese League Cup win over Nacional were understandably few and far between. “We have to wait a little bit more to explain everything I need to explain and then everything will be clear. It is my decision, but as I haven’t taken any decision yet it is not worth talking about it”.
Amorim’s refusal to confirm or deny whether he intends to take the United job is understandable for a number of reasons, not least because he has already incurred the wrath of Sporting fans in recent months by travelling to London for talks with West Ham. And with Big Sir Jim hoping to have in place in time to get a new manager bounce against Chelsea on Sunday, each passing hour in which he doesn’t accept the job will almost certainly see Amorim’s mooted salary rise. For now the party line is that his appointment is being delayed due to ongoing negotiations between United and Sporting over Amorim’s 30-day notice period and which of his backroom staff will go with him, should he leave. For now, the future of a manager who has previously expressed his desire to see the season out at his current club and remains in the frame to take over at another Manchester club remains tantalisingly up in the air.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I am 57 and can still work a few more years. But I did not see myself on the sidelines for now. It was clear for me that I would do something. So then Red Bull came. For me it is outstanding. I did not want to step on anyone’s toes. I love all my former clubs. But I don’t know what I could have done so that everyone is happy” – Jürgen Klopp, there, defending his decision to join Red Bull as global head of soccer from next year after criticism from fans in Germany, failing to realise that the one thing he might not have done after playing the ‘man-of-the-people’ card for a few years is to be the point man for a multi-club ownership model run by a blue-chip fizzy drinks conglomerate.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
“Manchester United are searching for someone to bring back their fire and rekindle the sizzle of their glory days. In short, they need a ‘Reheat King’. But rearrange those letters and you’re still stuck with Erik ten Hag” – Mark McFadden.
I know its only tennis, but when a famous Aussie beat Ivan Lendl back in the 80s: ‘Hard Cash beats bad cheque’” – David Speirs.
“I’ve been enjoying the mention of best football headlines in recent editions. But can we also give a mention to one of the worst? After he scored two wonder goals to knock Uruguay out of the World Cup in 2014, the Times of India ran the following headline about Columbia’s James Rodríguez: “The name is Bond, James Rodríguez” – Adam Clarke.
“Surely the best headline is from cricket. After Pakistan seam bowler Abdul Qadir skittled England the headline was: ‘The Sultan of Swing has England in Dire Straits’. Beautiful” – Peter Arnold.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … David Speirs, who lands a Football Weekly scarf. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
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