Ruben Amorim's wife 'best friends' with partner of new Man City sporting director as Man Utd rivalry threatens to grow behind the scenes

Amorim has been appointed as Erik ten Hag's successor at Manchester United and will be charged with knocking Manchester City off their perch and bringing the biggest titles back to Old Trafford. The 39-year-old's wife will join him in Manchester, where she will be reunited with close friend and business partner Raquel Viana. Raquel is the wife of Hugo Viana, who will replace Txiki Begiristain as director of football at Manchester City at the end of the season.

Maria Joao Diogo and Raquel are both interior designers and run a business together but their friendship may face a new challenge after Amorim and Viana come up against each other in Manchester. The two worked together at Sporting, and enjoyed great success, but will now be city rivals vying for glory. Amorim has already enjoyed success against City since being appointed United boss. His Sporting team ran out 4-1 winners against Pep Guardiola's side in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with some fans already hailing the coach as 'the new Sir Alex Ferguson'.

The interior design company owned by Maria Joao Diogo and Raquel is called Dois Tons. A recent social media post explained how the company's aim is to “create spaces with a unique identity” through their use of “color palette, textures and which are an extension of their history".

Amorim's first game in charge of Manchester United is against Ipswich Town on November 23. The new boss will come up against Manchester City for the first time in the Premier League on December 15.