Published on Friday morning, the stories from the English media claiming Aston Villa are in talks with Sporting manager Ruben Amorim were out for just an hour before the manager’s press conference in Lisbon.
So even though there still wasn’t time for the local press to go after more information on this rumour, the Lions’ boss was obviously asked about it in his chat with local journalists.
Amorim, however, didn’t try to fuel the Aston Villa rumours, and actually had quite a short response to dodge the question.
“I’m Sporting’s coach and there’s nothing to say about other clubs,” said Ruben Amorim (via Record).
The manager isn’t living a great situation with Sporting this season, as they’re fifth in the league table, and he also faced a few questions about the pressure building around his current position.
In the last game, he claimed he wasn’t the only one guilty for the results, and that didn’t get a very good reaction from the media. Now quizzed about it, he tried to explain those quotes, and admitted that he may leave the club if the bad results continue.
“That answer was after a game, and at the end of the championship it will always be my fault, whether I’m here for two days, a year or two. I will always be responsible, and if we maintain this cadence of results, I will be responsible and if I have to move on, I will leave. These are the demands we put on the club and this is how I want to function here.
“That’s what I meant, I apologise if I implied that someone else was responsible. Basically, it was saying that this is not over yet, there is a lot to do, and in the end I will do the evaluation and I will be responsible. Now it’s time to beat Casa Pia and move on.”
Amorim had likely initially been referring to the business done at Sporting during the summer, when he lost some key players and wasn’t happy with the transfer window.
Matheus Nunes at one point looked like he’d stay with the club until he finally gave in and agreed a move to Wolves, and that was after his midfield partner Palhinha had signed for Fulham.
Whereas Steven Gerrard was backed at Aston Villa in the summer, the opposite was true for Ruben Amorim.
