Sporting CP manager Rúben Amorim dismissed speculation about his future and emphasised that his primary focus is on winning trophies with the Portuguese club this season.
Despite being linked to the top job at Premier League leaders Liverpool amid Jurgen Klopp’s impending departure, Amorim remains committed to Sporting CP.
The rumors intensified after Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, reportedly the frontrunner to replace Klopp, reaffirmed his commitment to the Bundesliga club last week.
“The manager is clearly Sporting’s manager, Sporting’s manager and only Sporting’s manager,” Amorim stressed. “The players know how much they want to win and I want to win titles for Sporting. They are clear that everyone is focused on winning titles.”
Amorim dismissed reports suggesting that Sporting has identified a successor in 37-year-old Englishman Anthony Barry, who currently serves as the assistant coach at Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team.
“The only thing that annoys me is that they already had a replacement for me,” Amorim joked. “That’s what got me the most upset, even today I told Viana [Hugo Viana, Sporting’s director of football] to calm down because it’s not like that.”