Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim has reportedly agreed in principle to become Manchester United's new head coach.

The 39-year-old has emerged as a leading contender to succeed Erik ten Hag, who was sacked by the Red Devils on Monday after two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford.

United's decision to sack Ten Hag, who signed a two-year contract extension in the summer, has been described as 'difficult and finely balanced' by their hierarchy, who have opted for a change in the dugout following the club's 2-1 defeat at West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend.

Ten Hag departs having won just four of his 14 games in charge of Man United across all competitions this season, leaving the Red Devils languishing 14th in the Premier League table and 21st in the 36-team Europa League standings.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is allegedly reluctant to succeed Ten Hag on a permanent basis, has been placed in interim charge "while a permanent head coach is recruited" by Man United.

Ten Hag out, Amorim in at Man United?

A recent report claims that Man United are not considering former Barcelona boss Xavi as a potential managerial candidate.

However, the Red Devils are understood to have 'taken major steps' to lure highly-rated 39-year-old Amorim away from Sporting.

Amorim has been identified as Man United's number one target to replace Ten Hag and negotiations between the Red Devils and Sporting are said to be ongoing.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Amorim has given initial green light to Man United and is keen to join the club having accepted their project and the terms discussed.

Romano adds that Amorim respects Sporting and his potential switch to Old Trafford will depend on whether an agreement will be reached with Man United for them to pay his €10m (£8.3m) release clause.

Meanwhile, a separate report from the Manchester Evening News claims that Amorim has 'agreed in principle' to take charge of Man United having been 'convinced' to succeed Ten Hag.

Amorim coy on Sporting future amid exit rumours

Amorim was questioned by reporters on Monday about his future following Ten Hag's dismissal and said: "I was expecting that question and obviously I'm not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I'll always have to comment, so it's not worth it, I won't comment. I'm very proud to be the coach of Sporting, that's all."

Earlier this month, Amorim was linked with the Manchester City managerial job following their appointment of Sporting's Hugo Viana as their new director of football - the 41-year-old will replace Txiki Begiristain at the end of the season.

However, Amorim has played down suggestions that he will follow Viana to the Etihad Stadium and succeed current boss Pep Guardiola should he decide to leave when his contract expires next summer.

Amorim has had plenty of success in his native Portugal during his four-and-a-half-year spell in charge of Sporting, winning an impressive 71.73% of his 237 matches and lifting five trophies, including the 2020-21 and 2023-24 Primeira Liga titles before turning 40 years old.