Ruben Amorim responds after being asked if he’s following sporting director to Man City

Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana is due to take over from Txiki Begiristain at Manchester City, leading to speculation that Ruben Amorim might move in the same direction

Manchester City’s move for Hugo Viana has prompted suggestions Ruben Amorim might follow his compatriot over from Sporting CP, but the Portuguese has insisted he’s happy in Lisbon.

Viana will move to the Etihad Stadium in the summer to take over from Txiki Begiristain as director of football. Begiristain has been with City since 2012 and helped convince his former Barcelona team-mate Pep Guardiola to join as manager in 2016, but will leave after more than a decade in Manchester.

With one of his chief allies moving on, Guardiola’s own future has once again come under scrutiny. The Catalan is expected to reach a final decision on his future in the coming weeks

If Guardiola does move on, Amorim is among the managers potentially in the frame. The 39-year-old opted to stay at Sporting this season despite links with Liverpool and Bayern Munich, though, and has made it clear he is only thinking about his current club.

“No, I feel ready to continue working at Sporting, this year with even more responsibility, because everyone can see that Sporting is on a different level and on par with the others,” Amorim told reporters ahead of his team’s Friday night cup game against Portimonense when asked if he was ready to coach a team like City (via O Jogo). “That is also important for our club, we have that feeling, to be seen that way by everyone and to achieve our objectives.

“We want to win the Portuguese Cup, this coaching team has not won the Portuguese Cup yet, we have decisive games, that is what I feel ready for and for that we have to recover all the players, give them their best, focus them not on other things but on the day-to-day objectives, and so that is what I am ready for.”

Amorim was asked by reporters how he’d respond to the City links if he was Sporting president Frederico Varandas. “Thank God I’m the coach, I resolve the things I know how to resolve,” he replied. “I don’t know how I would deal with it. That’s why the president is the president and I’m the coach.”

Should Manchester City move for Ruben Amorim? Have your say in the comments section

Liverpool and Bayern weren’t the only clubs linked with a summer move for Amorim, who won his second Primeira Liga title as a manager last season. West Ham United also explored a move, holding talks in April, but Amorim would later apologise before ruling out a move away during the summer.

“Obviously my trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn’t seem right at the time,” said Amorim. He made it clear Sporting were aware of his talks and nothing happened behind their backs, but nevertheless showed regret.

“It was wrong, especially when I’m so demanding with my players and always the first to say that each one’s problems don’t go away,” he added. “They can overpower the team, I have already removed players from the squad for much less. It was my mistake, I have to accept it and live with it.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.