Manchester City director spotted with former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim

Manchester City director spotted with former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim Ruben Amorim has been spotted with Hugo Viana in Lisbon Amorim is currently out of work after being sacked by Manchester United in January, 2026 Man City may be on the hunt for a new manager amid uncertainty over Pep Guardiola’s future Former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been spotted spending some one-on-one time with Manchester City sporting director Hugo Viana. The relationship between Amorim and Viana is widely viewed as one of the most successful partnerships in modern Portuguese football, built on a foundation of personal trust and a shared tactical vision. The pair were former teammates at Braga before Viana – as Sporting CP’s Director of Football – took a gamble by paying a €10 million release clause to hire Amorim in 2020 in a link-up that would revitalise the club through two league titles.

The pair would go their separate ways in 2024 as Hugo Viana exited Sporting ahead of taking up the director of football role at Manchester City, while Ruben Amorim was appointed as Manchester United’s new manager. The latter’s tenure at Old Trafford failed to replicate his Lisbon success and ended in his dismissal in January, 2026. Despite reaching the 2025 Europa League Final – where United lost to Tottenham – his insistence on a strict formation often left the squad looking exposed, leaving the club with a win percentage of just 38.

1 per cent. Hugo Viana and Ruben Amorim spotted in Lisbon together Now, Manchester City’s sporting director Hugo Viana has been spotted spending some of his international break with close friend, former colleague at Sporting, and the recently-sacked Manchester United manager. The pair have been in Lisbon this week playing Padel at a sports club just outside of the Portuguese capital’s city centre, posing for a photo which was published on the ‘Padel Expo’ Instagram page.

The duo’s link-up in Portugal this week will no doubt spark rumours as to whether Hugo Viana’s personal connection with Ruben Amorim could be enough to overlook the latter’s struggles at Old Trafford amid uncertainty over Pep Guardiola’s Etihad Stadium future. Is Ruben Amorim on Man City’s list of potential next managers? Speculation regarding a managerial search at Manchester City has intensified as Guardiola enters the final 15 months of a contract set to expire in June 2027.