Ruben Amorim may be looking to overhaul a struggling Manchester United side but as he arrived in the city this month he could already be seen following in the footsteps of his doomed predecessors.
Walking along a well-trodden path, the Portuguese settled in the luxurious five-star Lowry Hotel in the heart of Salford – an award-winning establishment which has boasted the likes of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho among its guests in the past.
And it’s hardly a surprise. The grounds boast an art gallery filled with modern artwork, a spa ‘sprinkled with the extraordinary’ and the option to book out a presidential suite described on the Lowry’s website as ‘slightly outrageous’.
As comfortable as the king-sized beds and as tasty as the dry-aged sirloins might be, however, if Amorim proves to be a hit at Old Trafford he will have to check out of his room one day and find a cosy, long-term residence.
But where might the 39-year-old settle down in the long term? Mail Sport delves into the humble abodes of the bosses of United past in a bid to find the new man’s perfect home.
Ruben Amorim arrived from Sporting Lisbon this month to succeed Erik ten Hag as manager
The Portuguese faces a huge dilemma… where he will live in the log term in Manchester?
He has started off by moving into the Lowry Hotel (pictured) as many before him have done
Sir Alex Ferguson
Man United’s greatest ever manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was at the helm from 1986 to 2013, winning a record 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies, and his departure triggered the club’s rapid decline.
He masterminded the Red Devils’ relentless success from his beloved Wilmslow, a smart Cheshire village home to a host of footballers, first in a mock Tudor mansion called Fairfields before moving into a house built to spec in 2010.
The five-bed home was later put up for sale in 2023 following the death of his wife Cathy, aged 84, following 57 years of marriage. It was snapped up for a reduced price of £3.25million in April.
Estate agents had described the mansion as ‘deceptively spacious’ and ‘impressive’ on one of Cheshire’s most ‘desirable’ roads.
It boasted a stunning reception area outfitted with a wrap-around staircase and grand chandelier, as well as a games room complete with a snooker table, and carpets in the Ferguson clan tartan.
Sir Alex Ferguson was a big fan of the Wilmslow area although he sold his place there this year
David Moyes
After Sir Alex finally bade the club farewell, Everton manager David Moyes took over and presided over a disastrous period at Old Trafford which resulted in his sacking after just 10 months in charge.
The Scot had previously managed Preston and it seems he remained in the home he bought on the outskirts of the city in 2006, as he took the helm at United.
The historical Haighton House, set in 76 acres of land, is Grade II-listed having been built in 1820.
Thought to be the most expensive house in Preston, the property boasted seven bedrooms and its own private chapel, stable block and tennis court.
Moyes is thought to have sold Haighton House to the wealthy Bhailok family for £4.3m in 2019 while he was managing West Ham.
David Moyes took over from Sir Alex but had a disastrous time in charge and was sacked in 2014
The Scot lived in Haighton House – a 200-year-old country house with its own chapel
Louis van Gaal
United looked to move on from Moyes’s horrific spell as boss by appointing experienced head Louis van Gaal as their next boss in the summer of 2014.
After parking up at the Lowry to begin with, the Dutchman then lived in a £5,500-a-month apartment in the swanky village of Alderley Edge in Cheshire.
Van Gaal’s wife, Truus, was reportedly spotted house-hunting in the Alderley Edge area shortly after his appointment and settled on the delightful property in the plush area close by to star players such as Wayne Rooney, David De Gea and Juan Mata.
As the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss’s stint at Old Trafford turned sour, he was reportedly forced to recruit a team of security men at his home to protect him and his wife as fears over his safety mounted.
Around the same time, Van Gaal was said to be looking for a new home in equally swanky Hale. He was sacked by the club in May 2016 despite winning the FA Cup.
Louis van Gaal was next in the hot seat and also moved into the Lowry Hotel to begin with
His wife Truus (left) was looking for properties in Cheshire weeks before the pair moved in
Jose Mourinho
Up stepped Jose Mourinho in a controversial appointment given he had been managing bitter rivals Chelsea just one year earlier.
The Lowry’s biggest fan, ‘The Special One’ stayed at the fancy hotel for the entire length of his two-year spell as manager.
The Portuguese ended up racking up a bill of around £500,000 ahead of his departure in December 2018, spending a whopping 895 days at the establishment.
Mourinho often had fingers pointing at him for staying in the hotel, with some suggesting it showed a lack of desire to commit his long-term future to the club.
The former Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss hit back, of course, saying: ‘You know how I would be unhappy? I would be unhappy if I was in a house on my own. I would have to clean, I don’t want. I would have to iron, I don’t know how to. I would have to cook, I would cook fried eggs and sausages. That’s the only thing I can do.’
Jose Mourinho arrived in 2016 and was the Lowry’s biggest fan as he stayed there for his entire spell in charge
Mourinho finally left the Lowry Hotel following an emotional last supper with staff after his firing
Mourinho stayed in one of the hotel’s six Riverside Suites (pictured), racking up a £500,000 bill
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
United then turned to someone with deep associations with the club to rescue the side out of their ongoing crisis, hiring former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to take the reins.
Luckily for the Norwegian, he already had property in the area, laying down the foundations for a home in Alderley Edge as early as 2007.
Having failed to find a buyer for his house when he left the club as a player, he eventually rented it out to Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk – meaning Solskjaer initially had to stay at the Lowry Hotel. Where else?
His eventual 3.4 acre property included a media room, a utility room, a store room/AV room, a first floor study area, a master bedroom with a dressing room and en-suite bathroom, four further bedrooms, a garage, a brick outbuilding with a pool room, a dark room and a gym.
In addition, there was also an extensive rear garden and a front paddock with stables.
Former Red Devils striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managed the club for three years
Erik Ten Hag
Having taken Ajax to a Champions League semi-final and numerous domestic honours, Erik ten Hag earned a place in the Old Trafford hot seat in 2022.
Ten Hag was in charge for two years but a defeat to West Ham last month proved one too many
The Dutchman lived in Cheshire, with a van spotted this month removing his belongings
People could be seen outside Ten Hag’s property in the wake of his dismissal as boss
The Dutchman decided to steer clear of Mourinho’s favourite haunt, shunning the Lowry Hotel as his initial pit stop in favour of a penthouse in the city centre.
Ten Hag then settled down with his wife in a home in Cheshire although it is not known exactly where the property was located. Removal vans were spotted on his road shortly after he left the club.
What is for sure is that the manager was a huge fan of the restaurant Piccolino’s in Manchester, with the beleagured boss often spotted enjoying a meal at the establishment.
He was eventually fired four weeks ago after months of speculation around his future, leaving successor Amorim as the latest man faced with the dizzying array of options on the Cheshire property market.
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