Sporting Lisbon manager responds to Man United link as replacement for Ten Hag

Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim has responded to speculation that he could become Manchester United's next manager.

United have endured a torrid start to the season under Erik ten Hag, losing eight of their 15 matches, and they have slumped to consecutive 3-0 losses at home to Manchester City and Newcastle this week.

Ten Hag is under pressure to turn things around quickly, and it has been reported that Amorim and Zinedine Zidane have been lined up as potential replacements for the Dutchman if the club's current plight continues.

Amorim has been linked with a switch to the Premier League over the past 18 months after impressing in the dugout in Portugal, but he refused to give too much away when asked about the possibility of him moving to Old Trafford.

‘This year I’m not going to go back to the same conversation as last year,' he said when asked about whether he could be tempted by a move to United following Sporting's 4-2 win over Farense in the Portuguese Cup on Thursday.

‘I’m not going to make any kind of comment on these situations. We don’t know the future, it depends on the results.'

Amorim went on to suggest that he has a good idea of how he would like things to pan out over the coming months, but kept his cards close to his chest before revealing that he has not spoken to United yet.

‘Regarding the future, I have an idea for the end of the season but I won’t say it now. But the results and the context take us to something different,' he added.

‘I don’t want to be commenting on these things. I have not been contacted by Manchester United.’

Amorim is understood to have a release clause of around €10m (£8.7m) in his Sporting contract.

When asked whether his stance would change if the clause was triggered, he replied: ‘I’m