Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim insists he had not spoken to Manchester City about replacing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium ahead of his move to Old Trafford.
As Amorim prepares for Sunday’s first Manchester derby, the 39-year-old’s links with Manchester City ahead of his arrival have become a hot topic.
United hired the highly-rated Amorim from Sporting Lisbon in November after sacking Erik ten Hag.
Amorim was considered a contender to succeed Pep Guardiola after Manchester City announced Sporting CP director of football Hugo Viana would succeed Tesiki Begiristain at the end of the season.
Shortly after Amorim arrived in Manchester, Guardiola finally ended speculation over his future by signing a new two-year contract.
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Asked if he had ever discussed the prospect of joining Manchester City, Amorim told reporters: “Never. Never, it was my only option.
“When Manchester United spoke to me, I had no doubts because I already knew in my heart that it was possible.
“Manchester City or Hugo Viana? Nothing to do with that.”
Amorim ended a two-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Vitoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday.
But United have won just three of Amorim’s six games in charge and languish in 13th after recent losses to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, underscoring the rebuilding job he faces. of difficulty.
However, after only one dismal record in 10 games in all competitions, Manchester City fell into a more chaotic derby than Manchester United for the first time in many years.
‘We have a lot of problems’
Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League was City’s seventh defeat in the past 10 games, a stunning decline for a club that has won the past four Premier League titles.
One of those defeats was orchestrated by Amorim, whose Sporting CP side beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League.
“I never think about these things,” Amorim said of City’s predicament. “We will face a strong opponent and I am more focused on our problems, so we have a lot of problems here.
“I’m more focused on what we need to do on Sunday to win the game, so I’m really focused on my team.”
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Asked if United were facing a different, weaker City, he said: “No, no, no, no.
“Great teams can react at any time and I think they understand the game better than us, the way they play and the confidence they have. Even in moments like this.”
Manchester City may be struggling but remain fourth in the Premier League at the weekend, eight points ahead of their neighbors.
“I just want to improve the team, so I can’t live like a normal derby, like two great teams fighting for the title. That’s not the case now,” Amorim said.
“Both teams are struggling at the moment so I hope in the future I can get a real feel for a derby but I know it’s very important for our fans.
“But my goal now is to improve the team and win games, and I will try to win this game.”
