• Amorim linked with Liverpool and West Ham
• Held talks with the Hammers in London
• Apologised to Sporting for his actions

WHAT HAPPENED?

Amorim was linked with a move to Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp stepping down as manager at the end of the season, but it then emerged that West Ham were the frontrunners to recruit the Sporting head coach. The 39-year-old's meeting with the Hammers reportedly led to the Reds pursuing Feyenoord's Arne Slot instead, and now Amorim has admitted it was a "mistake" to meet with West Ham over potentially replacing David Moyes this summer.

WHAT RUBEN AMORIM SAID

Amorim told reporters: “The first thing to say is that the club knew about my trip, that’s the first thing, because it’s important and changes the context. The second thing to talk about is this ‘veil of secrecy’ around the trip. I ‘secretly’ parked my car outside, ‘secretly’ walked past 15 people, spoke with the people, took photos with people and got on a plane. It’s important to take away this idea that it was all done behind the club’s back, that didn’t happen.

"And now the most important point, that obviously it was a mistake. The trip, the timing was completely wrong. I didn’t think so at the time but it was wrong, especially when I’m so demanding of my players, and I’m always the first to say that the problems of individuals can’t take over the team, and I’ve taken players out of the team for much less. It was my fault, I have to accept that and live with it. I didn’t think it was so bad at the time but thinking back on it it’s very clear. I’ve explained this with the players, the staff, but most important now is to carry on. I’m using the conference here to say sorry to the Sporting fans, the staff and above all to say sorry publicly to the players for the mistake that I made.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Amorim made the trip to London shortly before Sporting have the chance to lift the Portuguese league title, when they face second-placed Porto on Sunday. At a time when the club are looking to make history, the former midfielder had his mind elsewhere. It remains to be seen where his future lies after this.

WHAT NEXT?

West Ham have been putting the feelers out to find a successor for manager Moyes, who is out of contract at London Stadium this summer. With Slot looking set to move to Liverpool, the Hammers will have to decide whether to stick or twist with the Scot - and that is where Amorim could come into play.