The initial word was that Amorim would arrive in the afternoon, and was it any wonder? Only hours earlier, he was in the midst of a thrilling last match in charge of his former club, Sporting.
The Portuguese champions had made a superlative start to the season, winning 10 games on the bounce in the league and trouncing Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League during his penultimate Sporting fixture, less than a week before this landmark trip to Manchester.
But the green and whites found themselves 2-0 down at Braga on Sunday night, seemingly odds-on to fall short in Ruben’s final game.
But no. Amorim’s Midas touch had not deserted him. One of his subs, Hidemasa Morita, scored with his very first touch, before a stunning Morten Hjulmand strike levelled the contest with less than 10 minutes remaining.
