Ruben Amorim was spotted playing padel with Hugo Viana in Portugal, according to multiple reports. This sighting comes after Amorim was sacked by Manchester United in January, ending his tenure at the club. The padel club, Padel Expo, posted on social media, saying they tried to contact Amorim to strengthen their coaching staff but it wasn't to be this time, and thanked him and Viana for their visit.
Amorim and Viana are former teammates from their time at Braga, a connection that dates back years. Viana now serves as Manchester City's sporting director, a key role in the club's operations. Their meeting in Portugal has sparked speculation about potential future collaborations, though no specific job links for Amorim have been confirmed since his departure from Manchester United.
I don't really have much bad to say about Ruben. I really like Ruben, I think he's got great ideas. The ideas just didn't work at Manchester United. I do believe he'll go on and have an amazing career and his next club he'll probably go and win many, many football matches. It just didn't click or work and I think us as players have got to take a lot of responsibility for that as well. But I think he has led the club in a direction - and I do think he deserves a lot of credit for that - where he's built a good, solid squad.
In another recent sighting, Amorim was spotted watching tennis at the Qatar Open last month, as reported by major media. Meanwhile, Harry Maguire, a Manchester United player, offered praise for Amorim. According to Daily Mirror - Football, Harry Maguire described liking Amorim and his great ideas, crediting him with building a good, solid squad at United, though noting the ideas didn't work out and players share responsibility.
Since leaving Manchester United, Amorim's search for a new managerial position remains ongoing, with no public announcements on his next move. The specific jobs he has been linked to are unclear, and the multiple disagreements he had with Manchester United's hierarchy have not been detailed. Manchester United's performance under Michael Carrick compared to Amorim's tenure has not been analyzed in depth, and the impact Hugo Viana has had on Manchester City's rebuild since becoming sporting director is not widely documented.
These unknowns leave Amorim's future direction open to speculation as he reconnects with figures like Viana in the football world.