Ruben Amorim can hand Liverpool a boost this week before becoming Man Utd boss

Erik ten Hag has gone and the new era at Manchester United has arrived. Well, not quite. That's actually in three games' time, when Sporting CP will let Ruben Amorim, a man linked with Liverpool before the Reds chose Arne Slot, make the move to the Premier League.

Before he goes, Amorim will take charge of Sporting three more times: against Manchester City in the Champions League, Braga in the Portuguese top flight, and then Amarante in the Portuguese cup. His first match on the touchline for Manchester United will be away at Ipswich Town at the end of the month.

It is, clearly, a strange situation. And while Amorim is a talented up-and-coming coach, it is a gamble for him to be taking over a club with expectations well above the level of its current roster.

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Liverpool will be watching closely generally as Amorim takes over from Ten Hag, given that the Old Trafford side has the potential to become a challenger again if it gets things right. But this week, the new Manchester United boss could do the Reds something of a favor before he even arrives in England.

Midweek, English eyes will be drawn to Manchester City taking on Sporting in the Champions League. Amorim, hoping to go out with a bang rather than a whimper even in the strange circumstances, will get his first chance to make a real impression against a Premier League team ahead of coming to these shores.

And if Sporting can get something from the game, that could inadvertently help Liverpool out. If the Portuguese side was to draw with or even beat Manchester City, Pep Guardiola's side would need to stay attentive in Europe for longer, with its place in the top eight spots — the ones that avoid the extra play-off round — not confirmed quite so quickly.

Amid a Premier League title race properly taking shape, with Liverpool leading Manchester City by two points, every detail and every minor margin matters. If Amorim can help postpone Guardiola's side's inevitable progression into the knockout phase, it will take a small portion of attention its away from the league.

It is not impossible that Manchester City could drop points either. It has beaten Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Praha in Europe this season but drew with Inter. It is far from in a bad position in the new-look standings but still has more work to complete.

Losing each of its last two games — against Spurs and then Bournemouth — Manchester City is not in the best form. Rodri's injury has bitten already and Amorim's Sporting will provide a tough test. The 39-year-old will be desperate to lay down a marker as he has many more eyes on him than he is used to.

If he succeeds, that will hand Liverpool a boost. As the Reds already know and Arsenal has now discovered too, if you want to compete with Manchester City for a league title, the outcome tends to come down to fine margins.