Manchester City will have a new man upstairs next season, with Hugo Viana to become the club’s new director of football.
City fans were rocked by the news that Txiki Begiristain will be leaving his post at the end of the season.
Begiristain has overseen a hugely successful period at City since his arrival at the club back in 2012, and is a major reason Pep Guardiola has been able to work his magic.
Begiristain will take a sabbatical after leaving City, before then returning to the game in some capacity. It is not expected that he will retire.
City have confirmed that Viana will succeed Begiristain, who will help oversee a transition period with him ahead of the Portuguese officially starting in the summer.
Recently, there was a bit of speculation that Ruben Amorim could follow Viana to the Etihad Stadium, amid speculation over Guardiola’s future.
The Manchester City manager’s current deal expires next summer, but Guardiola could extend at City by one year.
Today, Amorim – who will soon become Manchester United’s new manager – responded to a question about joining up with Viana at City.
Ruben Amorim admits Viana link-up at Man City ‘crossed my mind’
Amorim will take over at Manchester United during the next international break.
City’s bitter rivals swooped for the Portuguese after recently sacking Erik ten Hag.
The appointment is certainly interesting, especially because of the previous speculation that City saw Amorim as a potential option to succeed Guardiola.
Today, ahead of City and Sporting CP’s Champions League meeting on Tuesday, Amorim was asked whether linking up with Viana was a possibility.
He said (via ESPN): “It’s something that crosses your mind but I never had any doubts.
“My decision has been made and that is the club [Manchester United] I want to work for. That’s where I want to continue my career as a coach.
“It crossed my mind, but I decided on the club I wanted and I didn’t want anything else. I wanted Manchester United and that’s what I did.”
Amorim at Man United will be fascinating
Amorim was never likely to outright say that he would have loved to link up with Viana at City. But the admission that ‘it crosses your mind’ may not go down too well with some United fans.
One gets the feeling that Amorim would have liked to succeed Guardiola. But perhaps the timing just wasn’t right, and obviously, United have just sacked ten Hag and needed somebody now.
It will be really fascinating to see how he gets on at Old Trafford.
United have been in no man’s land for years since Sir Alex Ferguson left his post and several have failed to restore the club to its past glories.
Amorim has a big reputation due to the work he has done at Sporting and this does feel like a positive appointment for them.
But we will see how he fares without his right-hand man Viana, who will now be seeking to impose himself at the Etihad.
