Ruben Amorim says he is ‘very happy’ at Sporting and is only concentrated on their upcoming matches this season, regardless of the talk about replacing Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager.
The 39-year-old is now the frontrunner according to bookmakers to be the next permanent Liverpool manager after Xabi Alonso confirmed his decision to remain at Bayer Leverkusen next season.
That decision has forced both Liverpool and Bayern Munich to look elsewhere for their next manager as the Spaniard was the first choice for both the Merseyside and Bavarian giants.
Amorim is currently believed to be at the top of Liverpool’s list, but he is not discussing the possibility of joining Anfield.
While it might not mean much ultimately, he has suggested that he might stay at Sporting despite the interest from the Premier League, saying he has a contract and is very content at the club.
‘Liverpool? Right now I’m just focused on Sporting,’ Amorim said after a win at Estrela on Friday night which took Sporting to the top of the Primeira Liga table.
‘I am very proud to be Sporting’s manager. I have a contract, and even more importantly than that, I’m very happy here. My focus is on beating Benfica.’
Roberto De Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann, and current assistant boss Pep Lijnders are also considered as potential candidates for Liverpool, but Amorim is the frontrunner.
Alonso’s decision to stay at Leverkusen has disappointed many Liverpool fans, but Klopp said he can understand why the Spaniard has chosen to stay where he is doing so well early in his managerial career.
‘A young manager being at a club where he is doing really well,’ Klopp told a press conference on Friday. ‘I had a similar situation and did pretty much the same, if you want, and never regretted it.
‘That’s pretty much everything I can say, he is doing an incredible job there. Leverkusen has a good team, probably will keep the team together, I think that’s possible as well and it’s not every year like that.’
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