Ruben Amorim has kept a low profile over the past six weeks since being sacked by Manchester United, but it has now emerged that the Portuguese manager has been spotted at a tennis match.
Ruben Amorim spotted at Qatar Open (Image: Sky Sports)
Former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was spotted watching Carlos Alcaraz play at the Qatar Open in his first public appearance since being sacked. Amorim was released by United on January 5 and has been spending his free time traveling to the Middle East to watch other sports.
He was in the stands Thursday night watching Alcaraz defeat Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. The camera zoomed in on the coach as the Spaniard cruised to a 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the Russian in the third set at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
A Sky Sports commentator said Amorim had “a bit of time on his hands” after being released by United. It is unclear whether Mr. Amorim has any ties to Mr. Alcaraz or Mr. Khachanov, or why he is in Qatar.
The 41-year-old was sacked after the 1-1 draw with Leeds last month after sending a not-so-subtle message to United’s board with a post-match rant. He was later spotted walking with his wife in Cheshire, but has kept a low profile ever since.
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He was in the Old Trafford hotseat for just 14 months, winning 24 of the 63 games he took charge of after joining from Sporting Lisbon. “The club’s leadership have reluctantly decided that now is the right time to make a change,” United said in a statement, adding that the team’s form had improved dramatically since then.
United have appointed Michael Carrick as caretaker manager for the remainder of the season, with the former midfielder winning four and drawing one of his five games so far. The team have moved from sixth to fourth in the Premier League table and appear on track to return to the Champions League next season, but Amorim has now secured the golden ticket that eluded him after losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final in May.
Amorim reportedly received a £10m fee after being released by United, who signed him on a £6.5m-a-year contract until June 2027 when he joined from Lisbon in November 2024. The player has been linked with a return to Portugal, with Benfica reportedly keen to hire him if manager Jose Mourinho leaves in the summer.
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Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United in early January (Image: Getty)
Given Amorim’s huge fee from United and his known preference for taking charge at new clubs in the off-season, it is unlikely that Amorim would want to rush back into management. Amorim has yet to speak publicly since being sacked by United and is reportedly waiting until the end of the season to do so as he does not want to undermine Carrick’s efforts.
And although United have improved since Amorim’s departure, striker Matheus Cunha believes his former manager deserves some recognition. “I will always be grateful to Ruben for everything he has done,” Cunha told DAZN.
“I think it’s very easy, when things change, to look at the past as just a problem, but it’s quite the opposite. He was a great guy. A lot of new players came in because of him, so I think he’s also played a big part in the success that we’re having now.”
Michael Carrick has overseen a turnaround (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Asked about Amorim’s tactical approach, he added: “There was so much pressure for the tactic to work that we forgot how simple the whole context was and focused too much on the negatives.
“But to be honest, I think the numbers in football are very misleading. We attack in different ways, but in the end we end up defending in the formation that everyone says is Ruben’s.”
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