Ruben Amorim denial issued amid Man United sack pressure after new job claims

Latest Manchester United news as Ruben Amorim has emerged as a surprise candidate to manage Sporting Clube de Portugal's fierce rivals Benfica

Ruben Amorim is reportedly being considered by Benfica after as sack pressure ramps up following his Manchester United side's dismal start to the campaign.

United lost 3-0 to Manchester City in the Manchester derby on Sunday and Amorim became the target of criticism from pundits. The Portuguese has now only won won eight of his 31 league games in charge since taking over from Erik ten Hag last November.

Despite being highly regarded in his native Portugal for his outstanding work at Sporting Clube de Portugal - ending their 19-year league title drought and leading them back into Europe - the last few months in England have not been easy for him.

Outsiders are keeping an eye on his situation and reports in Portugal claim he is being considered as a potential manager for Benfica.

Next month, the Portuguese giants will hold elections for a new president. Candidate Joao Noronha Lopes, together with former Benfica and Portugal international Nuno Gomes, who is running as vice-president, are reportedly considering Amorim as a potential coach.

The pair were in attendance at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and, upon their return to Lisbon, were quizzed about the latest rumours.

Noronha Lopes explained: "We went to Manchester to watch the derby, and when we are together, we take the time to have meetings and prepare the future of Benfica.

"We didn't meet up with Bernardo Silva or Ruben Amorim after the game. I want to bring to Benfica a winning culture, which has talent, dedication and people who know how to win."

When quizzed if he would like to see Amorim as manager of Benfica in the near future, Noronha Lopes added: "Ruben is under contract with Manchester United and I won't comment on that."

Meanwhile, Gomes denied that their trip to Manchester had anything to do with the United manager. "I don't want to speak about that, I'm a friend of Ruben Amorim, and he has a contract with Manchester United," he added.

"We watched the game, Joao [Noronha Lopes] is a passionate football fan and I enjoyed this experience with him."

It wasn’t the first time he had been asked about Amorim. Last weekend, he stated: "I can't answer that question at the moment but I'm sure that Amorim will be the manager of Benfica, one day."

Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.

Click here to read article