Man Utd manager news LIVE: Ruben Amorim in talks with deadline set after Erik ten Hag sacked

Ruben Amorim refused to talk about his future at Sporting Lisbon as Manchester United opened discussions with the Portuguese over becoming their next permanent manager.

The 39-year-old is considering the opportunity to replace Erik ten Hag with United willing to negotiate with Sporting over Amorim’s release fee.

There has been considerable progress in early talks, but United want an answer from him by the weekend.

Manchester United are in talks to try and appoint Ruben Amorim, with the Sporting head coach understood to be considering the opportunity to replace Erik ten Hag. The Old Trafford hierarchy have put the 39-year-old top of their list, having not considered him during the summer. They are also willing to negotiate with the Portuguese club about a release fee that is within the region of €10m (£8.3m).

United are seeking to impress on Amorim the opportunity that the job presents and there has been considerable progress on talks, to the point that Amorim’s coaching staff has been discussed.

“I was expecting that question, and obviously I am not going to talk about my future,” Ruben Amorim says.

“I am not going to speak about my future because no matter what I say I’d have to always talk about it. Since the first day, I said it was not worthy to ask about it and I am not going to make any comments about my future.”

Pushed on whether he is proud to even be linked with the Manchester United job, Amorim simply responds: “I am very proud of being Sporting head coach.”

Ten Hag was sacked after United made their worst ever start to a Premier League season and with the club 14th in the table, having won just once in eight games.

Frank has developed a reputation as one of the most innovative coaches in Europe since taking Brentford to the Premier League and was reportedly one of several managers to hold talks with United over the summer as the club sounded out potential replacements for Ten Hag.

In a unanimous decision by the club’s new hierarchy, the Independent understands, United decided neither results nor performances were good enough to give them reasons to persist with Ten Hag.

United had triggered a one-year contract extension for the Dutchman – though only after speaking to a host of other managers – and in September, new chief executive Omar Berrada said they were “fully backing him” while sporting director Dan Ashworth also gave Ten Hag his support.

It says much about Manchester United’s decision on Monday to sack Erik ten Hag, as well as the club’s long-term indecision, that even the Dutch coach’s great victory offered reasons to make a change. In the days before May’s FA Cup final, the Dutch coach was insistent on going “toe to toe” with Manchester City. It was only after hours of internal debate, led by Darren Fletcher, that Ten Hag relented. He had to be told to go with different tactics.

United still persisted with the manager, even though the decision to make a change had largely been settled on before that final. That stance was revealed with how they essentially interviewed Ten Hag for his own job over the weeks after, in a first big move by the new Ineos football leadership. It immediately undermined another season. United’s multi-headed hierarchy couldn’t ultimately settle on the right replacement, which remains a problem. That, allied with initial fan emotion, was the only reason that the decision was delayed until now.

United have won just three of their opening nine league games of the campaign, including Sunday’s late 2-1 defeat at West Ham, with Ten Hag failing to impress United’s new club ownership.

United are 14th in the Premier League after nine games, and lie 21st in the Europa League table have failed to win any of their opening three fixtures.

The defeat by West Ham United on the weekend was ironically one of the team’s better performances under Ten Hag this season, but it proved to be the final straw for the Ineos ownership as a string of missed chances resulted in a 2-1 loss.

Alejandro Garnacho wrote on Instagram and wished Erik ten Hag all the best.

He said: “Thank you for everything, boss. I will always be grateful to you for giving me the opportunity and the confidence to play for this club.

“It hasn’t gone as well as we wanted, but I will remember the good times we had together and I wish you all the best in the future. Thank you very much Erik.”