A Manchester United source has confirmed the club’s stance after Ruben Amorim was involved in an awkward exchange with a Sky Sports reporter at a press conference.
Amorim has signed a deal to become United’s new manager after they paid Sporting a fee of around £9.25 million, but he will not officially take the reins until November 11.
He is therefore taking charge of two final games with the Lisbon outfit, who he has led to two Portuguese league titles.
The first is a Champions League clash with United’s rivals Manchester City, in what is his final home game – before he signs off with a trip to former club Braga on Sunday.
Amorim is very much focusing on the present and made that clear in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
However, the presser was painfully awkward as Sky Sports journalist Gary Cotterill was persistent in trying to get him to answer a question in English and asked multiple times.
Amorim was speaking in Portuguese when Cotterill asked, “You could be a hero even before you get on a plane to Manchester. Has that crossed your mind?”
He politely said: “Mmm sorry, I cannot speak in English, no. Sorry… they will miss me in Portugal. So I have to speak in Portuguese.”
Cotterill described Amorim’s stance as a “cold shoulder to all your English fans”, after the press officer explained he would be able to speak in English when he joins up with United.
Though no complaint is expected to be launched, the Daily Mail say United feel “some disappointment” the ‘hostile’ approach taken by Cotterill and Sky.
Image: Getty
Cotterill memorably tried to get a word out of Erik ten Hag when he was heading to United and the Dutchman refused to answer his question in a 2022 press conference.
It’s said United have not had any input in Amorim’s silence, with those high up at Sporting making the call.
Featured Image Credit: Getty & Sky Sports
Topics: Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, Sporting CP