- Ruben Amorim has revealed the nickname given to him by Cristiano Ronaldo
- Man United boss played alongside Ronaldo for the Portuguese national team
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has revealed the backstory behind a nickname given to him by club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Amorim arrived at Old Trafford on Monday and met with members of the club’s brass as he prepares to takes the reins at United having been named the club’s new boss following Erik ten Hag‘s sacking last month.
The 39-year-old is faced with the monumental task of turning United around as they have slumped to their worst-ever start in Premier League prior to the Dutchman’s dismissal.
In his wake, Ten Hag’s former assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy served as interim manager, restoring morale around the club by going unbeaten across four games in all competitions.
The club currently sit 13th in the Premier League table having won just four of their opening 11 games in the league.
The dismal start sees the club closer to the relegation zone than league leaders Liverpool, and comes after yet another summer of spending with more than £180m spent on bolstering the ranks during the transfer window.
In his first interview since taking the reins at Old Trafford, Amorim revealed his compatriot Ronaldo had given him the nickname, ‘the poet’.
‘Yeah. But it’s like a funny thing because I like to speak, not too much, but when I speak, I speak, I think I speak from the heart.’ Amorim told MUTV.
‘I think the people feel that it was something just to have fun.’
Amorim is just nine days older than Ronaldo, and his debut season as a player in the Portuguese top flight came just months after Ronaldo had made his first step on the road to footballing immortality by joining United in 2003.
The pair appeared together on multiple occasions for the Portuguese national team before Amorim hung up his boots in 2017 to embark on a career in management.
After spells at Casa Pia and Braga, Amorim would join Ronaldo’s boyhood club Sporting Lisbon.
In his first full season at the club he led Sporting to their first league title in two decades, before adding a second last season as interest from Premier League clubs intensified.
After Jurgen Klopp announced he would step down as Liverpool manager, Amorim emerged as one of the top contenders to succeed the German at Anfield before they appointed Arne Slot.
Amorim was also linked with taking over at West Ham last season, and even went as far as to travel to meet with club chiefs in April.
It is understood that talks between Amorim and the Hammers were productive, but the club ultimately opted to stick with David Moyes until the end of the season before bringing in Julen Lopetegui.
It was initially thought that West Ham baulked at the £8.3m compensation fee they would have to pay Sporting for Amorim, plus additional fees for his staff, but it has now emerged that the east London club had another concern over appointing the Portuguese manager.
A source close to the club has revealed that they felt appointing Amorim would represent a gamble as he has only managed one top club in his own country.
The source insists talks went well and Amorim made a positive impression, but West Ham ultimately decided to pursue an alternative option.
