Amorim focuses on Sporting’s clash with Man City before joining United

Sporting manager Ruben Amorim has said his primary focus is Tuesday's Champions League game at home to Manchester City after his agreement to join Manchester United on November 11.

United on Friday named the Portuguese as head coach to replace Erik ten Hag on a contract running until 2027, with the Old Trafford club struggling in 13th spot in the Premier League.

As Amorim prepares for a new chapter in his career, the 39-year-old on Monday reflected on his time at Sporting.

“I've been through this a few times as a player; it's hard to explain,” he said ahead of the City match.

“I'll miss it in the future because I was very happy here. I know I'm going to a more complicated world, but we have to take steps forward.”

However, Amorim stressed the Champions League clash against United's local rivals was his main focus at present.

“Tomorrow I'll be Sporting's coach and only Sporting's, from the 11th onwards I'll be United's coach,” he said.

City are third in the 36-team table while Sporting are eighth but both sides have seven points from three games.

Amorim acknowledged the hype around the match as many United fans view it in relation to City's rivalry with their team.

“They are different contexts; I'm not thinking about that. For me, it’s just another game against a team from the best league in the world.”

Emphasising the challenges ahead at Old Trafford, he noted that language issues will play a part at the start.

“My communication at the beginning will be simpler because it is in English. The players will not be offended if I say that they are more basic. I give training sessions here in English.

“I will take inspiration from everywhere, but there's always room for new ideas.”

City will have to accept a more challenging season as they cope with injuries that make it harder to repeat the success of recent years, their manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of their clash against at Sporting.

Depleted by a number of injuries to key players, the Premier League champions saw a 32-game unbeaten league run ended with a loss at Bournemouth on Saturday after a midweek reverse at Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup fourth round.

Guardiola said on Monday he was aware of the expectations surrounding his team but knew they were likely to suffer more defeats due to injuries and the increasing level of their opponents.

“I know our standards but we've lost just one game. Maybe we are going to lose again in the Premier League against Brighton and against Tottenham and against Liverpool,” Guardiola said, referring to their next three Premier League games.

“We are just two points behind Liverpool who are a top-class team. We've started well in the Champions League but I know people expect us to win 38 league games and win the treble every season as these are our standards.

“The reason it is difficult is because we have had a lot of absentees which can happen in some seasons.

“Sometimes, to win the treble, everything has to be on the same page with injuries, but this is not possible this time. The teams are very strong and everything is more difficult and we have to accept that. That is the challenge.”

City will be without Ballon d'Or winner Rodrigo and Oscar Bobb for most of the campaign, while John Stones, Jack Grealish and Ruben Dias remain sidelined and did not travel to Portugal.

Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker still have problems despite being in the squad, Guardiola said, and Kevin De Bruyne and Savinho are improving while Erling Haaland is fit.

City, third in the Champions League standings after two wins and a draw, are looking for a third consecutive European win at Portuguese champions Sporting, who are eight but also have seven points and are unbeaten across all competitions this season.

Guardiola's City side claimed a resounding 5-0 win at Sporting in the 2022 Champions League last 16.

Uefa Champions League fixtures

Tuesday:

PSV Eindhoven v Girona (7.45pm)

SK Slovan Bratislava v Dinamo Zagreb (7.45pm)

Bologna v Monaco (10pm)

Dortmund v SK Sturm Graz (10pm)

Celtic v RB Leipzig (10pm)

LOSC Lille v Juventus (10pm)

Liverpool v Leverkusen (10pm)

Real Madrid v AC Milan (10pm)

Sporting CP v Manchester City (10pm)

Wednesday:

Club Brugge v Aston Villa (7.45pm)

Shakhtar Donetsk v Young Boys (7.45pm)

Crvena Zvezda v Barcelona (10pm)

Bayern Munich v SL Benfica (10pm)

Feyenoord v RB Salzburg (10pm)

Inter Milan v Arsenal (10pm)

Paris Saint-Germain v Atletico Madrid (10pm)

Sparta Prague v Brest (10pm)

Stuttgart v Atalanta (10pm)

Reuters