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West Ham United are ruing the decision to overlook Ruben Amorim in favour of Julen Lopetegui, as per Fichajes.
Manchester United’s decision to part ways with Erik ten Hag mid-season, despite the side’s atrocious form, left many surprised as it raised questions concerning his replacement, not least because it is always considered difficult to lure a top manager at this stage of the campaign.
However, INEOS showed an impressive level of decisiveness and swiftness to secure the services of Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim.
Amorim steered Sporting to two Primeira Liga titles and the Lisbon-based outfit were flying this campaign as well, having won all of their opening 11 league games.
Their 4-1 win over Manchester City in the Champions League further strengthened Amorim’s reputation as one of the most exciting coaches in European football.
While his arrival in Manchester has drastically improved mood of the United fanbase, it has allegedly left West Ham fans and directors questioning the club’s summer move.
According to Fichajes, the Hammers “discarded” Amorim in the summer. Despite considering the 39-year-old tactician as David Moyes’s replacement, they eventually decided to place their trust in Lopetegui, owing to his experience.
However, it is suggested that after seeing the expectation that Amorim’s arrival has generated at Old Trafford, West Ham are “tearing their hair out”.
Lopetegui is facing lot of scrutiny due to West Ham’s poor start to the season. They sit 14th in the Premier League table, three points behind the Red Devils.
It is understood that some figures at the club now consider the choice to appoint the ex-Real Madrid manager over Amorim as “hasty”.
West Ham are not the only club to have been linked with Amorim in recent times. Late in October, The Peoples Person relayed a report suggesting Manchester City were interested in him. However, the former midfielder was not willing to wait to replace Pep Guardiola at a later date.
According to ESPN, Amorim was also on Liverpool’s radar, but the Merseyside outfit made a decision to go with Arne Slot. One of the reasons behind their move was the then-Sporting boss’s loyalty to his 3-4-3 formation. It will be interesting to see how the current United squad would fit into his system.
Featured Image Gualter Fatia via Getty Images
