JOSE MOURINHO encouraged Ruben Amorim to take the jump from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United.
The Fenerbahce and former Red Devils boss has been a long time mentor to Amorim who had an internship at Mourinho's High Performance Football Coaching course back in 2018.
The pair have remained close and so he was the person the 39-year-old turned to when he became aware of United’s interest.
SunSport also understands that Amorim wants to delay his move to United until after Sporting play Manchester City in the Champions League in Lisbon next Tuesday.
His next match is at home on Friday to Estrela.
It seems certain that interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy will therefore be in charge for not only the Leicester City Carabao Cup game but also the visit of Chelsea to Old Trafford on Sunday.
United have agreed to pay Amorim’s £8.5million release clause.
But the club want a further £4.1million for him to take his Sporting backroom staff with him.
The sticking point, however, is that Sporting are looking to promote his assistant Carlos Fernandez to Amorim’s post despite him being only 29.
While there are reports that Sporting will hold Amorim to a 30-day notice period the coach is convinced he will be at Old Trafford next week.
He has agreed to a two-and-a-half year contract with the option on the United’s side to extend that by a further year.
Amorim had already been spoken to by United’s hierarchy before firing Erik ten Hag on Monday morning.
The man himself immediately turned to Mourinho for advice.
Despite his own dismissal by the club in his third season ‘The Special One’ encouraged him to make the move.
Mourinho backed him when he was linked to the West Ham job.
Mourinho said: “I think he has the conditions to be able to coach in any league and he has the conditions to be able to coach in any club.”
Amorim for his part once referred to Mourinho as a ‘reference point’ and said of him:
“Mourinho is one of a kind. There won't be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
