What Liverpool owners really think about Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim revealed in new book

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Liverpool were admirers of Ruben Amorim before he made the move to Manchester United , a new book has revealed. The Reds even considered him a candidate for the vacancy at Anfield before they eventually secured Arne Slot from Feyenoord .

After Jurgen Klopp announced his planned summer departure from the club in January 2024, the Liverpool hierarchy got to work finding a replacement for him. Names like Xabi Alonso remained on the shortlist for the job but after the now- Real Madrid boss turned down the offer, other potential candidates began cropping up.

A new book, 'Walk On: Inside Arne Slot’s Liverpool', written by James Pearce, reveals that Amorim was the man most-linked to the Anfield job following his success with Sporting Lisbon. Pearce writes: "After Alonso publicly ruled himself out of contention, the name most persistently linked with Liverpool in the media was Sporting Lisbon coach Amorim, who was about to clinch his second Primeira Liga title with the Portuguese giants."

However, while the Reds admired Amorim's success in Portugal, they were concerned about how he set up his team and his style of play, which was not deemed as a good fit for the Liverpool squad. Pearce continues: "Amorim was a serious contender and boasted the best record in terms of player availability. However, that was partly attributed to him working in a less intense league.

"There was plenty to admire but Edwards and Hughes had doubts whether his preference for a three-man defence would suit the squad he would be inheriting at Anfield. There were also concerns that his slower, less dynamic style of play might fail to energise supporters.

"Hughes held talks with Amorim in Lisbon but the Sporting boss was subsequently informed that Liverpool were going in a different direction."

Liverpool ended up opting for Slot, who had won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord and finished runner-up in the UEFA Conference League in the 2021/22 season. Pearce adds: "Slot was always the preferred candidate.

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"They loved how his football connected with the emotional fanbase at Feyenoord, they felt it wasn't too much of a change from Klopp's approach and they knew he was well versed in working in a sporting director model."

While Amorim has seemingly finally settled at United, Liverpool's decision to select Slot seems to be the best move for both club and manager. The Dutchman won the Premier League in his first year in charge and revitalised a Liverpool squad that had only claimed the League Cup in Klopp's final campaign.

Slot spent a whopping £446million over the summer and secured some star signings like Florian Wirtz , Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike . While there has been a dip in form in recent weeks, the Reds looked to be back to their best on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over familiar foes Real Madrid.

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