Ruben Amorim arrived at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground on Monday afternoon and was welcomed by senior club executives.
The Portuguese was greeted by CEO Omar Berrada at the club’s training facility after arriving with a police escort from Manchester Airport, where he landed at around 2pm.
Amorim smiled broadly as he clasped hands with Berrada and embraced the executive, while he was pictured deep in conversation with sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Manchester United have also confirmed that Ruud van Nistelrooy, formerly Erik ten Hag’s assistant and interim boss since then, has left the club along with coaches Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar and Pieter Morel.
‘It’s not just Carrington. It’s home,’ Manchester United wrote on X. ‘A warm welcome for Ruben Amorim at our training ground.’
Ruben Amorim smiled on arrival at United’s training ground, greeted by CEO Omar Berrada
He was pictured in conversation with sporting director Dan Ashworth, right, and technical director Jason Wilcox, left
The manager looked in a good mood as he clasped hands with CEO Berrada, himself quite new
Amorim boarded a private flight on Monday morning and was joined by five of his assistants, who will join him in his new endeavour.
Carlos Fernandes, Adelio Candido, Paulo Barreira, Emanuel Ferro, and Jorge Vital all joined Amorim on the 11am flight from Beja.
Thousands of fans tracked the live progress of the plane, which landed at Manchester Airport around 2pm on Monday afternoon.
He enjoyed a fairytale farewell at Sporting on Sunday evening, less than 12 hours before jetting off to take on his new Red Devils role, as the Portuguese club fought back from two goals down to triumph 4-2 over Braga.
Now, the 39-year-old head coach turns his attention to Manchester United. One of his first tasks was to hold crunch talks with Van Nistelrooy.
Amorim revealed after Sunday’s clash with Braga that he would speak with the Manchester United legend about his future, congratulating the Dutchman for doing a ‘great job’ with the Red Devils following Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
Van Nistelrooy took interim charge at Old Trafford at the end of October and oversaw an unbeaten run of four games – winning three times and drawing once.
His most recent success came during Man United’s 3-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday.
One of Amorim’s first tasks was to hold talks with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has now left
Amorim boarded his flight to Manchester Airport from Beja at 11am on Monday morning
The Portuguese manager enjoyed a triumphant end to his tenure as Sporting Lisbon boss, fighting back to win 4-2 over Braga on Sunday less than 12 hours before jetting to Manchester
Commenting on Van Nistelrooy’s position, Amorim told reporters after his final game as Sporting boss: ‘About a legend of the club. He did a great job. I have to talk with him tomorrow (Monday).
‘Then I will explain everything. I am very clear and I will tell you like it is. Let’s wait until tomorrow,’ he added.
Despite general hope among Manchester United’s fanbase that Van Nistelrooy, 48, would stay on at Old Trafford in some capacity, the Dutchman remained tight-lipped on his future and has now left.
‘Ruud is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend,’ the club said in a statement.
‘We are grateful for his contribution and the way in which he has approached his role throughout his time with the club. He will always be very welcome at Old Trafford.’
Carlos Fernandes, Amorim’s No 2 who was spotted boarding the flight on Monday, bid an emotional farewell to Sporting fans and effectively confirmed his new chapter at Manchester United.
Fernandes has been an ever-present alongside Amorim since the incoming Manchester United boss began his career in coaching.
He is part of a new wave of coaching who never played professionally and has been involved in coaching from as early as his teenage years.
Van Nistelrooy, formerly Erik ten Hag’s assistant manager, had been in interim charge
The interim manager won three and drew one of his four games after taking over from Ten Hag
The flight from Beja jetted off at 11am on Monday and arrived in Manchester at around 2pm
Amorim’s No 2 Carlos Fernandes posted a heartfelt farewell to Sporting fans on Sunday night
Fernandes (right) is Amorim’s trusted side-kick who has been likened to Jose Mourinho
Writing on Instagram, the assistant manager said: ‘The adventure that changed my life… so many moments that I will cherish forever. There is no other feeling other than eternal gratitude towards those who helped us create something so special: players for whom there are no words, colleagues who became friends and everyone who always supported us. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!’
Despite Amorim’s eagerly-anticipated arrival, the Portuguese will not be able to start work officially at Manchester United until a work permit is secured.
Mail Sport reported on Sunday night that Amorim is still waiting for the paperwork to be processed and thus cannot start officially begin his new job or ‘get his feet on the grass’, according to United sources.
Most of the players will be away on international duty anyway, with Amorim’s first game not for another two weeks against Ipswich at Portman Road on November 24.
He will not be unveiled to the media until his pre-match press conference for that game, although he is expected to speak to United’s in-house TV station before then.
The Red Devils slipped to 14th in the Premier League before parting ways with Ten Hag and, despite only climbing one place in the division since then, are only four points off third place thanks to an impressive run under Van Nistelrooy.
Following their 2-1 defeat by West Ham last month, which proved Ten Hag’s final match in charge, United have beaten Leicester in both the Carabao Cup and Premier League, while also drawing with Chelsea 1-1 and beating PAOK 2-0 in Europe.
Amorim, who will have the full international break to settle in at Old Trafford before taking on Ipswich on November 24, made the perfect statement to Red Devils supporters last week as his Sporting Lisbon side dismantled Manchester City with a 4-1 win in the Champions League.
