Ruben Amorim 'ready to axe' four Man Utd players in January with two replacements 'lined up'

Ruben Amorim is thought to be close to becoming manager of Manchester United after Erik ten Hag parted company with the club on Monday – but he could be about to make a huge decision regarding team selection.

Amorim, 39, is widely reported to be the likely man to become Ten Hag’s successor at United. The Portuguese comes with an impressive managerial track record of two Primeira Liga titles in 2020-21 and 2023-24 – the 2021 triumph was Sporting’s first in 19 years.

The club from the Portuguese capital are flying at the top of the division with a perfect record of nine wins from nine games this term.

But the pull of Man United may be too strong to resist for Amorim.

The 39-year-old has a £8.3m release clause in his contract, according to The Athletic, with United CEO Omar Berrada thought to be a keen admirer of the former Benfica player.

Amorim has already ‘spoken with the board’ about potential transfer dealings as well as stating how four players may not be in his plans, according to TeamTalk.

The report suggests that Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof are not fancied by the Portuguese manager, with Antony and Casemiro also likely to fall down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

It is reported that the United board agree that the players performances do not match their high wages.

Eriksen, Lindelof, Antony and Casemiro cost a combined transfer fee of £166m (add-ons not considered).

If these players were to leave the club, United would have to replace them - with Eriksen and Casemiro in particular, leaving a gap in midfield.

Ruben Amorim could look to bring Marcus Edwards to Manchester United (Credit:Getty)

Amorim is likely to target several Sporting players, including Inacio, 23, who currently boasts 12 caps for Portugal after forming part of the league’s third-best defence last season - having conceded 29 goals in 34 games. Their resolute defensive capabilities have continued this term, with Sporting conceding just twice in their nine league games so far.

The central defender has a release clause of £51m if reports are true, with Liverpool also thought to be interested.

Meanwhile, English right-winger Marcus Edwards, 25, is reportedly being viewed as a potential replacement for Antony.

The former Spurs man left north London in 2019 for Portugal-based Vitória de Guimarães, where he put together a string of impressive performances, earning him a move to Sporting.

Since he arrived in the country’s capital in 2022, he has made 48 goal contributions in 116 appearances, helping the club to the 2023-24 league title.