Manchester United failure is quickly becoming a secondary detail in the growing Ruben Amorim-Benfica conversation. Pressure is building around Rui Costa after a disastrous season in Lisbon.
The Benfica president is already preparing for the possibility of José Mourinho leaving for Real Madrid. Furthermore, the noise around Amorim is now growing louder than ever.
Since leaving Manchester United in January, Amorim has barely appeared publicly and has not taken another job. In fact, he had even been planning a sabbatical year to study, learn and reset after his rapid rise through Braga, Sporting and Old Trafford.
At the same time, Benfica’s campaign has collapsed around Rui Costa.
Their season ended without a trophy again, following early domestic cup exits against Porto and Braga and a Champions League playoff defeat to Real Madrid.
In the Portuguese league, they sit third, two points behind Sporting. They are also eight behind champions Porto, and there is only one game to go.
That backdrop has completely changed the atmosphere around the club.
Rui Costa sees Amorim as solution
According to Correio da Manhã, Rui Costa now views Ruben Amorim as the only realistic appointment capable of calming growing supporter unrest. This unrest is directed at Benfica’s leadership. The report explains that Amorim is seen internally as a strategic and unifying figure.
Fulham’s Marco Silva had previously been considered a leading option. However, his quieter profile reportedly failed to convince everyone inside Benfica.
Amorim, on the other hand, is viewed very differently. Despite his failed spell at Manchester United, Benfica reportedly believe his communication skills, personality, and previous connection to the club still make him hugely appealing to supporters.
That is where things become interesting from a United perspective.
Manchester United struggles pushed aside
At Old Trafford, Amorim’s project fell apart pretty quickly, even though his dismissal took a while.
Results were inconsistent, pressure escalated, and Manchester United eventually dismissed him midway through his second season in charge. Under normal circumstances, that kind of failure would seriously damage a manager’s standing.
Instead, Benfica appear willing to largely ignore it. They were already linked to him earlier this year and now the speculation only got stronger.
His Sporting success still carries enormous weight in Portugal. Winning two league titles there, while reshaping the club structurally and tactically, continues to define how he is viewed domestically far more than what happened in Manchester.
According to the report, Amorim has already made it clear he would only consider Benfica after Mourinho’s situation is officially resolved, as he does not want to become a destabilising factor.
What happens next
José Mourinho is expected to announce his future after Saturday’s match against Estoril, with a move to Real Madrid increasingly viewed as the likeliest outcome.
If that happens, Benfica are expected to move quickly. But there is something striking about how this story is developing.
Only months after being dismissed at Old Trafford, Amorim is already being framed by one of Portugal’s biggest clubs as the figure capable of restoring unity and calming an angry fanbase.
That means whatever happened at Manchester United has not seriously damaged his standing back home at all.
