Sporting sack Ruben Amorim’s replacement on Christmas Day as Portuguese giants suffer dramatic drop in form since Manchester United boss’ exit

Portuguese club Sporting CP have sacked manager Joao Pereira after a poor run of form. The 40-year-old was appointed as successor to Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim in November.

Pereira was handed the reins at Sporting CP following Amorim's departure to Manchester United. Amorim, 39, was appointed as the Red Devils' head coach after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag in late October. He penned a two-year contract with the Premier League giants and officially joined the club on November 11.

Prior to Amorim's exit from Sporting CP, the club was in rich form. They were atop the Portuguese League, having won 11 games on the bounce. Sporting CP were also second on the Champions League table with three wins from four matches, including an impressive 4-1 win over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

However, under Pereira's tutelage, the club dropped to second in the league, managing just one win from four games. They have also suffered consecutive defeats in the Champions League, including a 5-1 thrashing at home to Arsenal, and are currently ranked 17th in the competition.

In eight games under Pereira, Sporting CP managed just three wins. He became the first manager in the club's history to lose four of his first five games. Despite going on a three-game unbeaten run heading into the end of the year, the club decided to part ways with Pereira.

They announced his dismissal on their official social media handles with a short statement on Christmas Day (December 25), which reads:

"A Lion forever. Thank you, Joao Pereira."

Pereira appeared as a right-back during his playing days and had three separate spells with Sporting CP, retiring at the club in 2021. He also coached the club's U-23 side and the senior reserve team before his appointment as head coach.

Amorim, meanwhile, has not also enjoyed the best of starts at Manchester United. He has won just twice from six league games and four in nine outings across competitions.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim cites 'anxiety' as reason for loss to Bournemouth

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim pointed out that anxiety both in his players and from the fans contributed to their 3-0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, December 22.

Speaking after the game, Amorim said (via SkySports):

"I think the understanding of our game is a lot about mentality," he said. "You can feel it in the first goal-kick from [Andre] Onana, he is thinking what to do, trying to push the other guys - and everybody is so anxious.

He continued:

"At this moment, in our club, everybody is tired of this moment. We know what to do, we have to address a lot of things but we are ready to do it. We already knew it, we knew the challenge is big."

Manchester United will look to bounce back when they next play Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league on Boxing Day (December 26). They are 13th on the league standings with 22 points from 17 matches.