Ruben Amorim came out to a silent Estadio Jose Alvalade and was immediately engulfed by applause from Sporting Clube de Portugal fans.
It is an upsetting day for many fans in Lisbon on Tuesday night, as Amorim could potentially be in charge of his final game for the Lions.
Sporting are in Taça da Liga quarter-final action at home to CD Nacional before a match with Manchester City in the Champions League next week.
He came out to walk towards the dugout and grabbed a water bottle from the ice bucket before shaking Ousmane Diomande's hand and giving Jeremiah St Juste a hug.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk