Man Utd fans seek statue of new manager Amorim after he leads Sporting to historic Man City defeat

By Xuan Binh November 6, 2024 | 01:43 am PT

Sporting players celebrate coach Ruben Amorim after the 4-1 win over Man City at Jose Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal on Nov. 5, 2024. Photo by Reuters

Many Manchester United fans are dreaming of a bright future after seeing their soon-to-be-appointed manager Ruben Amorim help Sporting Lisbon beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The final match of Amorim as Sporting manager ended like a dream for the 39-year-old coach, when Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick to sink Man City and helped the club climb to second place in the Champions League.

Before the match, Amorim joked that he could be compared to Sir Alex Ferguson if Sporting beat Man City. In the end, Sporting not only won, but also handed Man City their heaviest defeat in four years.

On social networks, Man Utd fans expressed their excitement for the manager who will begin at the club from Nov. 11.

"Not saying Amorim is definitely going to be a success at United but I say we start building the statue now," wrote the account @Casey_Evans_ on X.

@RuudBalll, a Man Utd fan, jokingly said that the Portuguese coach deserves a knighthood.

"Welcome to Man Utd, Sir Ruben Amorim," he wrote.

On Reddit, Sporting's 4-1 win attracted thousands of comments, no less than Man Utd's matches.

"I think we can all agree that the next people who should be sacked at Man Utd are the players, not Amorim," an account wrote.

Seeing the reaction of United fans, The Athletic reporter Duncan Alexander added to the joke: "To be fair, Amorim could be the first manager to have a statue at Old Trafford before starting his job at Man Utd."

However, many fans are not too optimistic. Man City missed center-back Ruben Dias and 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri due to injury, while Kevin De Bruyne only played the final minutes of the game against Sporting.

Another commented: "In 18 months, Amorim will announce the shocking news that he will not continue to build the style of play for Man Utd as he did with Sporting. And then in six months, he will be fired. The players will apologize profusely again."

Amorim has managed Sporting since 2020, helping the team win the Portuguese championship for the first time in 19 years. He also led Sporting to the national title last season. In this season the club won all 10 first games. In the Champions League, Amorim also helped Sporting win three and draw one in four matches, placing second behind Liverpool.

Amorim will make his debut as Man Utd manager in the match against Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Nov. 24, replacing Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was promoted to interim coach after Erik ten Hag was sacked.