Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim admits he is 'upset' by speculation that he will replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool... amid reports the Portuguese club have found a successor

Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim has been left 'upset' as he continues to be linked with the Liverpool job. 

Amorim is seen as one of the leading candidates to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, especially after Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso ruled himself out of contention.

However, Amorim is frustrated with the persistent speculation that is surrounding him.

The 39-year-old is especially disappointed that Bayern Munich and Portugal assistant coach Anthony Barry has been linked with the Sporting job.

Asked about the importance of maintaining focus on Sporting, Amorim said: 'Completely, the only thing that annoys me is that they already had a replacement for me.

'That's what got me the most upset, even today I told [Hugo] Viana [Sporting's director of football] to calm down because it's not like that. That's the only thing I've paid attention to.' 

Meanwhile, Amorim played down concerns that his players could be negatively affected by the situation.

He said: 'No, because it's part of their lives. What affects the players is their own future.

'Everyone is thinking about themselves. That can interfere with the preparation of a game if they're involved in talks with other clubs. It's normal for players to go through that.

'When it's the manager, they don't think about any of that. And the manager is clearly Sporting's manager, Sporting's manager and only Sporting's manager.'

Since taking charge of Sporting in March 2020, Amorim has won one league title and two Taca da Ligas. He was previously in charge of Casa Pia and Braga.

Sporting are currently top of the league - they are one point ahead of their closest challengers Benfica and also have a game in hand. 

Amorim has also reportedly emerged as a target for Barcelona, with Xavi set to leave at the end of the season.