The Manchester United Football Club is considering appointing Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim as the successor to Erik ten Hag, who was recently dismissed from his position.

On Tuesday, various reports indicated that Manchester United is in discussions with the 39-year-old Portuguese coach following the dismissal of Ten Hag on Monday, which came after a poor start to the season.

Additionally, Brentford's Thomas Frank and Fulham's Marco Silva are also reportedly under consideration for the managerial position.

United decided to part ways with Ten Hag after a 2-1 loss to West Ham left the club, one of the richest in the world, languishing in 14th place in the Premier League. Despite significant investment in the summer transfer window, the team has managed to secure only one victory in their last eight matches across all competitions.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, a former striker for United, has been appointed as the interim manager.

Reports from British media suggest that the club is keen on hiring Amorim, who is recognized as one of Europe's top young coaches. Sky Sports has stated that discussions with Amorim have already taken place.

Earlier this year, Amorim was considered for the managerial role at Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp's exit, but the position ultimately went to Dutch coach Arne Slot. Ten Hag's position had been under scrutiny for some time, especially after United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe chose to keep him following an internal review at the end of last season, despite the club finishing eighth in the league while winning the FA Cup against Manchester City.

However, the team's performance this season has shown little sign of improvement.

The British media has been critical of Ten Hag, highlighting his claims of having a "plan" while his teams appeared disorganized on the field.

“United have once again concluded that they have the wrong man leading their team, ” the BBC wrote on its website. “And a major reason for that is that Ten Hag’s ‘plan’ was never in evidence.”

The Times asserted that responsibility should be attributed to Ratcliffe, the British billionaire who acquired a stake in United during February and pledged to revitalize the club, which has not secured the Premier League title since 2013.

“How could (Ten Hag) command the respect of his players when it was an open secret that the club had spoken with five or six candidates about the possibility of replacing him?” the newspaper asked.

Former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who took the helm at Manchester United in May 2022, has staunchly defended his achievements in recent weeks, asserting that he deserves recognition for securing two trophies during his first two full seasons.

United ended a six-year trophy drought by defeating Newcastle in the 2023 League Cup final. Additionally, the team reached the FA Cup final and secured a third-place finish in the Premier League, marking a promising debut season for Ten Hag.

However, his second season has seen significant challenges. Injuries to key players, underwhelming performances from high-profile signings such as Brazilian forward Antony, and Ten Hag's inability to establish a distinct playing style have resulted in disappointing outcomes.

The team was eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage and experienced a series of losses at Old Trafford during the 2023/2024 season.

In response to these challenges, a new sporting structure led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been implemented, resulting in considerable changes off the pitch. Nevertheless, Ten Hag's unexpected triumph over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the FA Cup final provided him with a reprieve.

He received additional support in the transfer market with the acquisitions of Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui, bringing his total spending to over £600 million ($778 million), with nearly half allocated to former Ajax players.

Despite initial optimism this season, early hopes faded as Liverpool and Tottenham secured 3-0 victories at Old Trafford in September.

Former United captain Gary Neville remarked that Ten Hag's current league position is “unacceptable” and has led to significant scrutiny.

“The big shock for me is how bad they’ve been with the new signings that have come in,” Neville said..

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand compared Ten Hag to “a boxer getting hit and knocked down in the third round and never recovering and getting knocked out”.

In truth, Ten Hag oversaw just a small period of United’s more general decline since legendary former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Five managers have come and gone since then.