Manchester United have registered an interest in hiring Ruben Amorim and paying the Sporting Lisbon manager’s release clause, the Portuguese club have confirmed.

After sacking Erik ten Hag on Monday, the Red Devils have moved quickly to identify the Portuguese as the next manager at Old Trafford.

And in an official statement, Sporting have notified the Portuguese financial regulator, with the club listed on the stock market, of United’s position as negotiations continue.

The Portuguese club said: “Manchester United have registered an interest in hiring Rúben Amorim and paying his €10 million release clause.”

Amorim could now be in place by the time United face Chelsea in Sunday’s Premier League match.

It says much about Manchester United’s decision on Monday to sack Erik ten Hag, as well as the club’s long-term indecision, that even the Dutch coach’s great victory offered reasons to make a change. In the days before May’s FA Cup final, the Dutch coach was insistent on going “toe to toe” with Manchester City. It was only after hours of internal debate, led by Darren Fletcher, that Ten Hag relented. He had to be told to go with different tactics.

United still persisted with the manager, even though the decision to make a change had largely been settled on before that final. That stance was revealed with how they essentially interviewed Ten Hag for his own job over the weeks after, in a first big move by the new Ineos football leadership. It immediately undermined another season. United’s multi-headed hierarchy couldn’t ultimately settle on the right replacement, which remains a problem. That, allied with initial fan emotion, was the only reason that the decision was delayed until now.

In a unanimous decision by the club’s new hierarchy, the Independent understands, United decided neither results nor performances were good enough to give them reasons to persist with Ten Hag.

United had triggered a one-year contract extension for the Dutchman – though only after speaking to a host of other managers – and in September, new chief executive Omar Berrada said they were “fully backing him” while sporting director Dan Ashworth also gave Ten Hag his support.

There was a time when Manchester United came to West Ham, Wayne Rooney took aim from 57 yards and scored. Many a comparison with the past can damn this United side but, a decade on, Diogo Dalot came to West Ham, took aim at an unguarded goal from eight yards and missed. Whether it was excruciating or merely amusing depends on your perspective, but it was costly, summing up Manchester United’s self-destructive streak.

They contrived to lose a game in which they had been absurdly, astonishingly dominant before the break. Dalot was the worst offender but not the only one. “I collected six or seven 100 percent chances we should have scored,” said Erik Ten Hag. “But in football the best team does not always win.” And United’s finest half of the season still led to a fourth defeat.

Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has addressed the reports linking him with the vacant managerial role at Manchester United and says ‘nothing has been decided’.

He spoke to the media following his team’s 3-1 victory over Nacional in the Portuguese league cup on Tuesday evening but refused to confirm whether he will be the man to replace Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

“Nothing is decided yet. I don’t know if it’s the farewell game or not.” said the 39-year-old when asked if he had overseen a Sporting match for the final time.

After Erik ten Hag’s sacking on Monday, Gary Neville told Sky Sports: “The big shock for me is how bad they’ve been with the new signings that have come in.

“I felt as though they would have enough to be able to get a decent level of performance together after a smoother transfer window, and that Erik ten Hag would get a level of stability.

“The fact that they are 14th is unacceptable. You can’t be in 14th after nine or 10 games with the level of spend that’s occurred without being under significant pressure – and that’s what’s happened.

“I was hoping it would end differently. I think Manchester United fans were hoping that the manager would continue to keep his job and the faith shown in him in the summer would pay off. But it’s not been the case.”

Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim is being heavily linked with a mid-season move to Manchester United after the Red Devils sacked former boss Erik ten Hag on Monday.

Sporting defeated Nacional in the Portuguese League Cup on Tuesday evening and Amorim issued a brief statement on the United situation after the game.

He said: “Nothing is decided yet… I don’t know if it’s the farewell game or not.”

Negotiations between the two clubs continue over a compensation package should Amorim depart.

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe kept faith with Erik ten Hag following United’s FA Cup victory over Manchester City in May, but Gary Lineker believes there was a “degree of eventuality” regarding the Dutchman’s departure.

Lineker said: “It’s been an ongoing saga, which started in the summer just before the FA Cup (final) when we got wind of the fact United were sounding out other coaches.

“They seemed to go for Thomas Tuchel but he didn’t take the job, then they subsequently went back to Ten Hag. I suppose there was a degree of eventuality about this.”

Lineker read out a list of the new players signed during Ten Hag’s tenure, adding: “It’s not like he’s not been backed. That’s a hell of a lot of money and it hasn’t worked at all.

“His argument will be ‘I’ve won trophies’ and he has, he’s won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, but I think you’ve got to judge managers on their league position.”

Alan Shearer said Erik ten Hag had been a “dead man walking” after it emerged Manchester United sounded out other managers in the summer.

Ten Hag was sacked as United boss on Monday following a disappointing start to the season, with United confirming Ruud van Nistelrooy will take interim charge.

Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, hosted by fellow former England striker Gary Lineker, Shearer believes Ten Hag’s sacking was inevitable in the end.

He said: “We were just waiting for it to happen. Even the way he was talking that ‘we’re all on the same page’. Well, they weren’t really on the same page because everyone knew they were talking to managers in the summer.

“If they’re on the same page why on earth are they speaking to managers in the summer? As soon as that came out we all said he was a dead man walking, unfortunately.

“For them then to give him a new contract after that was bizarre really, and to back him with £200m, and in nearly four months they’ve sacked him. Bizarre.”

Old Trafford has been beset with an air of toxicity since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013. Although Jose Mourinho had brief success, trouble never seemed far away. Only heroic feats as a player and an amazing spell as interim saved Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from fierce criticism. The new manager has to turn around the atmosphere at the club and have everyone pulling in the same direction.