Who is Ruben Amorim? Everything you need to know about rumoured Aston Villa manager target

Aston Villa are the latest Premier League club on the lookout for a new manager, after parting ways with Steven Gerrard shortly after their 3-0 loss to Fulham on Thursday night.

A number of names have been linked with the vacancy at Villa Park, with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Sean Dyche believed to be among those in contention for a return to Premier League management.

However there is one name that tops the bookmakers' odds to be named the next permanent Villa manager, and that man is Ruben Amorim.

Here is everything you need to know about the Portuguese manager.

Who is Ruben Amorim?

Ruben Amorim is a 37-year-old Portuguese manager, who is currently in charge of Sporting CP in Portugal's Primeira Liga.

Amorim began his managerial career in 2018, taking charge of Liga B club Casa Pia. He took over the reins at Braga B in 2019 before being appointed their first team manager for the 2019-2020 season.

Amorim's impressive showing at Braga encouraged Sporting CP to splash out €10M in order to secure his services, a fee which made the then 35-year-old the fourth-most expensive manager in the history of football.

He led Sporting to their first league title in 19 years in his first campaign at the club, before securing a second-place finish in the 2021-22 campaign.

Sporting has struggled for any real consistency in the league this season, they currently sit fifth in the Primeira Liga. They have also struggled in Europe, although they did secure a 2-0 victory over Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur on MD2.

Will Ruben Amorim join Aston Villa?

There has been no official word from Aston Villa with regard to any approach for Ruben Amorim, although the odds for him to be named the next Villa manager continue to plummet.

Amorim was asked about his future at a press conference earlier today and stated the following:

“I'm Sporting's coach and there's nothing to say about other clubs."

Now, this comment should be taken with a pinch of salt, as there is no reason for Amorim to upset the apple cart over a rumoured interest, but do expect there to be movement in the coming days.

It is believed that the Sporting manager has a €30M buyout clause in his current contract, but with Villa in desperate need of immediate success, they may well be prepared to stump up the fee to get their man.