Bruno Fernandes has tipped one of the most exciting young coaches in world football to land a top job in Europe as Erik ten Hag's future with Manchester United remains uncertain.
United chiefs held a seven-hour meeting on Tuesday to discuss Ten Hag's immediate future, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe pitching three key questions to those in attendance.
A report from The Independent suggests Ratcliffe asked why should the club persist with the Dutchman after two full seasons at the helm, and why other candidates might be more suitable.
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As it stands, Ten Hag is set to take charge of United's Premier League clash against Brentford on Saturday but a number of names continue to be linked with the job, including Thomas Tuchel.
With all that being said, midfielder Bruno Fernandes has publicly praised Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim whilst on international duty with Portugal.
Amorim has previously been linked with the United job. In fact, back in November, the 39-year-old commented on the speculation after he was named as Ten Hag's potential replacement.
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Almost a year later and Amorim, who was also tipped to become Liverpool manager before Arne Slot's appointment, has been praised by Fernandes during a press conference.
Speaking ahead of Portugal's Nations League clash against Poland, he said: “Since Mr Amorim arrived at Sporting, it has been one of the teams to practice better football.
“They have been consistent, the signings have been right and they are in a very good moment. It's a very well-prepared team.
“In relation to Amorim, it shows at this moment he is prepared. Coaching Sporting and winning championships is not easy, Sporting went 20 years without winning championships and Amorim arrived and has already won two. This shows that the work has been done well."
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Fernandes added: “If he could manage to do the same in England, Spain or anywhere else, you will never know until you get there, but I am sure his qualities are there for everyone to see.”
As mentioned earlier, Amorim has been previously linked with United. At the time, Ten Hag was under intense scrutiny following a run of results featuring eight defeats in 15 games.
When asked about United's so-called interest, he said: "This year I’m not going to go back to the same conversation as last year. I’m not going to make any kind of comment on these situations."
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Amorin was then prodded to make a further comment on a potential move to Old Trafford.
"We don’t know the future, it depends on the results," he said. "It has more to do with the general idea of what we need as a team, extra pressure so we don’t hide.
"Regarding the future, I have an idea for the end of the season but I won’t say it now. But the results and the context take us to something different.
"I don’t want to be commenting on these things. I have not been contacted by Manchester United."
Topics: Bruno Fernandes, Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Premier League, Portugal
Jack Kenmare