Manchester United are reportedly closing in on their top managerial target Ruben Amorim even though the Sporting Lisbon coach said "nothing is decided yet" when it came to him replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag.
As United prepared on Wednesday to play their first game since they dismissed Ten Hag, facing Leicester in the League Cup at Old Trafford, behind the scenes 39-year-old Amorim appears to be their number one choice to take over the hotseat.
United pulled the plug on Ten Hag's two-year reign as manager on Monday after a 2-1 defeat by West Ham left them 14th in the Premier League.
Amorim quickly emerged as the leading contender to succeed the Dutchman and Sporting issued a statement to the Lisbon stock exchange on Tuesday confirming United were willing to meet his 10-million-euro ($10.8 million) release clause.