Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim insisted that the Red Devils would remain his “only club” after rampant speculation surrounding his potential departure in recent weeks, be that via the form of him quitting, getting sacked or even poached by Benfica.
As the Lisbon giants head towards presidential elections next month, leading candidate João Noronha Lopes was credited with interest in appointing Amorim. Noronha Lopes’s proposed vice-president Nuno Gomes openly declared: “One thing I know, Ruben Amorim will be the coach of Benfica one day.”
That day has been delayed by the club’s surprise decision to hire José Mourinho. Amorim was quizzed about the appointment of his legendary compatriot and took the opportunity to distance himself from Benfica and any other club.
“We’ll be here watching to see what happens,” he told DAZN, “but focused only on Manchester United, and that will be my only club.”
Amorim has not always been so clear about his Old Trafford future. Scarcely three weeks ago, the 40-year-old freely admitted: “Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years.”
That decision to stay could very well be taken out of Amorim’s hands given United’s desperately underwhelming start to the season. Those in the upper reaches of the club’s hierarchy are thought to remain in favour of the Portuguese boss—although whether that is proof of their faith in his rigid philosophy or a reluctance to spend the £12 million ($16.3 million) it will reportedly take to sack him is unclear.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s much-needed victory over Chelsea, Amorim was confident he could be at United for the long haul. “After one year of experience in this club, it’s hard to imagine what is going to be the next 12 [months]. [But] I expect to be here. That is the first point,” he told Sky Sports.
“I expect to play really well between the boxes and be excellent in the boxes. I expect to create a momentum that is normal to win in this football club. Win matches—I don’t say titles—win matches is the normality. I expect to have that in 12 months. But, as you can see, we need to live this day by day. So, I expect to be here in 12 months.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Only Club’—Ruben Amorim Responds to Man Utd Future Speculation After Outside Interest.