Amorim was Man Utd's THIRD-CHOICE Ten Hag replacement

Cameron Smith

• 11 Nov 2024 09:45 GMT
• 3 min read

Ruben Amorim was reportedly Manchester United’s third-choice replacement for Erik ten Hag, with the Red Devils unable to secure their two top targets.

Ten Hag, 54, was sacked following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United last month and Amorim will officially start duties at Old Trafford when his application for a UK work permit is approved.

His first game in charge of the Red Devils will come against Ipswich Town after the November international break and Amorim will be expected to lift Man Utd to new heights following Ruud van Nistelrooy’s impressive stint as interim boss.

READ MORE: Van Nistelrooy is the problem Amorim didn’t need

However, it has emerged that Amorim wasn’t Man Utd’s first-choice option to replace Ten Hag.

In fact, the 39-year-old was behind Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Tuchel on Man Utd’s shortlist, both of whom reportedly received an offer to take over at Old Trafford during the summer.

READ MORE: Man Utd want Chelsea star Maresca called his ‘BEST PLAYER’

Man Utd wanted Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Tuchel

De Zerbi turned down a move to Man Utd in favour of joining Marseille, following his departure from Brighton & Hove Albion, while Tuchel also rejected the Red Devils before being appointed as the new England boss.

As per L’Equipe, De Zerbi showed his Marseille squad a copy of the contract he had been offered by Man Utd ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, reportedly stating: “This is where I could have been, but I put my passion before money. I came to Marseille for the passion.”

In addition, super agent Pini Zahavi has revealed that Tuchel was on the verge of moving to Old Trafford before turning down an offer from the Premier League giants.

“If I were Thomas, I would have gone to Manchester United,” Zahavi told Die Welt (via The Mirror). “He had the opportunity. Everything was prepared, the deal was basically done.”

However, after being rejected by both De Zerbi and Tuchel over the summer, Man Utd opted to trigger the one-year extension option in Ten Hag’s contract, before sacking him in October.