- Fans left a meeting with Dave Brailsford claiming he had confirmed the hiring.
- He spoke a three-word message, but was he referring to Rubén Amorim?
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Managerial appointments in the modern era are usually confirmed in the controlled environments of a club’s website and social media profiles.
But some Manchester United fans are convinced that bigwig Sir Dave Brailsford personally announced Ruben Amorim’s arrival to them outside Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
The Ineos sporting director watched as United thrashed Leicester City 5-2 in the Carabao Cup round of 16 under the interim tutelage of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
That victory comes as United close to sealing Sporting Lisbon boss Amorim, 39, on a two-and-a-half-year deal as Erik ten Hag’s successor.
But some believe the deal was completed after a video circulated of Brailsford telling fans, “yes, it’s done”, outside Old Trafford before the match. The only question is what that three-word statement refers to.
Sir Dave Brailsford stopped to take photos with fans at Old Trafford and said: “Yes, that’s it.”
They behaved as if they were referring to the appointment of Rubén Amorim but it was not clear
Brailsford stopped to take pictures with two fans and said “yeah, it’s done”, before they and the cameraman began telling other fans “the deal is done”.
However, it is possible that Brailsford may have simply been referring to the fact that the images were being made, or something else entirely. It’s not clear what they asked him in the first place, and it’s worth bringing a dose of skepticism.
However, the fans he met were convinced that he was talking about the deal with Amorim, or at least acted like it.
The Portuguese is set to succeed Ten Hag on a contract worth £6.5m per season. In addition to his two-and-a-half-year term, there is the option of a 12-month extension.
However, Amorim will not be able to join United until the start of the international break on November 10, meaning interim manager Van Nistelrooy will remain in temporary charge for three more games against Chelsea, PAOK Salonika and Leicester.
United are expected to pay £9.2m for him.
Amorim will become United’s sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and is expected to bring in his own backroom team which includes assistants Carlos Fernandes, Adelio Candido and Emanuel Ferro, as well as goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital and sports scientist Paulo Barreira.
Van Nistelrooy’s role in the new set-up is still unclear, but the Dutchman insisted after the game that he wants to stay after returning to Old Trafford as Ten Hag’s number 2 in the summer.
United are close to sealing Amorim’s appointment with a two and a half year contract
‘I came here as an assistant to help the club. Now, in this position, I help as long as necessary,” said Van Nistelrooy. “In the future, in whatever capacity, I am here to help the club continue to build towards the future, that is what I am here for.”
“I am here to help, serve and give my all for the club in any capacity, with so many people around me who want the best for the club and that will never change.”
Van Nistelrooy did not hold a post-match press conference and will instead address the media on Thursday in his first press conference since taking over to replace Ten Hag.
