The bookies have installed Ruben Amorim as heavy favourite to take up the reins as next Manchester United boss.
Following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal on Monday morning, United finally decided to cut ties with the Dutch steward, seeing their late defeat to struggling West Ham on Sunday as the final straw.
Parting ways after a rocky 30 months in charge, the clamour for the man to fill his boots has now begun and the current Sporting Clube de Portugal boss is at the time of writing, the man at the head of the queue.
Amorim the Man
For a number of seasons now, Ruben Amorim has become a man in demand, not least with Premier League clubs in mind.
Now, reportedly Amorim has entered talks with United.
Having transformed Sporting from eternal bridesmaids to Porto, the team are now the dominant force in Portugal, with the steward’s aesthetic playing style having won many admiring glances.
Now in his fifth season with his hometown Lisbon club, it was with rivals Benfica where Amorim made a name for himself as a player, before his impressive exploits as a coach.
Heavily touted as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement at Liverpool, it could now be Manchester as his next destination.
The Red Devils found success under Jose Mourinho, but in Amorim, the club could have found another Portuguese to take them back to the top.
The bookies have Amorim as short as 1/5 but at best 1/3 with BetVictor.
Ruud awakening?
Of course, if United go with Amorim, they may have to wait until next summer and Ruud van Nistelrooy looks set to take charge for the remainder of the season, with Amorim unlikely to leave mid-season.
Having been promoted as number two to Ten Hag since this summer, the former United striker would be a popular choice to be given a chance to show his skills on an interim basis.
Opting to remain with the club on an interim basis, given his history at Old Trafford, he ticks a lot of boxes, certainly in the short-term.
Having led PSV Eindhoven before his Premier League return, taking the United boss full time remains for the moment a distant prospect, but if his stint goes well, stranger things have happened than being handed the permanent post at 15/2 with SpreadEx.
Xavi option
After his retirement in 2019 with Al Sadd, it was only a matter of time before one of the greatest players of his generation, Xavi, made the transition into management.
Staying in the Middle East to manage the club he represented for four seasons, Xavi won seven trophies with the Qatari club, before his time was called to return home.
As a four-time European Cup winner with Barca, taking the dugout at Camp Nou was a near certainty and with Ronald Koeman under fire, the Spaniard was appointed Barcelona manager in November 2021.
However, his time in charge did not go to plan and winning just one Spanish Super Cup in three seasons, Xavi was sacked at the end of last term.
For one of the classiest players in recent time, Xavi has all the credentials to succeed as a manager, but clearly has roads to travel on his journey.
Could, then, the United post be coming at the perfect time, with expectations having dipped of late?
After a period of stagnation under Ten Hag – but not exclusively – Xavi’s price may now have significantly drifted but the option remains open and still attractive at 14/1 with BetVictor.
