Jose Mourinho encouraged Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim to take the Manchester United job.

The current Fenerbahce coach and former United coach acted as a mentor to Amorim after the Sporting coach completed an internship on Mourinho’s High Performance Football Coaching course in 2018.

And Mourinho was the first person Amorim turned to when approached about the manager position at Man United, according to the Sun.

Amorim is a hot tip as the next coach at Old Trafford. Sporting said the Manchester club had activated its manager’s £8.5 million (€10 million) release clause.

But it is also understood that Amorim wants to postpone his move to England until Sporting play in the Champions League against Manchester City in Lisbon next Tuesday.

Ruben Amorim is believed to have sought advice from his mentor Jose Mourinho

The pair worked together on Mourinho’s coaching course early in Amorim’s career

Mourinho said: “I think he has the conditions to be able to train in any league and he has the conditions to be able to train at any club.”

Amorim has previously described Mourinho as a “reference point” and said of him: “Mourinho is unique.” There will be no other Mourinho. “Mourinho is unique.”

The Portuguese coach’s next game is at home against Estrela on Friday and while talk of his move continues, it seems certain that interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of Chelsea’s game at Old Trafford on Sunday.

United have agreed to pay Amorim’s £8.5m release clause, but the club are demanding a further £4.1m so he can take his team out of Sporting’s backroom.

The sticking point, however, is that Sporting want to promote his assistant Carlos Fernandez to Amorim’s position, even though he is only 29 years old.

Although there are reports that Sporting will sign Amorim on a 30-day notice, the manager is confident he will play at Old Trafford next week.