Carabao Cup: Man United 5 Leicester 2 THE Ruud van Nistelrooy revolution took less than 40 minutes to finally put a smile on the face of long-suffering Manchester United supporters although how much longer the Dutchman remains in place is the real talking point. By the 39th minute of the Carabao Cup last 16 tie, United led 4-1 - the first time they had scored four goals in a first half since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer masterminded a 9-0 win over Southampton in February 2021 - and even if he makes way in the United dug-out for Ruben Amorim before the end of the week, van Nistelrooy and supporters will always have that memory. Amorim, the Sporting Lisbon manager, edged closer to becoming a permanent successor to Erik ten Hag as talks continued between the Portuguese club and United upper management designed to bring the 39-year-old to Old Trafford as quickly as possible.
A €10 million compensation fee has been agreed, as has a contract with the coach himself, according to Portuguese reports, that will cost United just over £6 million a year and run until the summer of 2027. United still hope to have him in place for Sunday and the visit of in-form Chelsea to Old Trafford, although complications have arisen over a “notice period” that Amorim is understood to have written into his deal with the Portuguese champions, although the English club do not see this being too problematic. A further complication lies in the fact that Sporting face United’s neighbours City in the Champio.
