1 month ago
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RUBEN AMORIM has singled out the “very talented boy” he can’t wait to coach at Manchester United.
Red Devils fans are braced for the Portuguese boss’s arrival after the international break after he agreed a deal to replace Erik ten Hag.
RexRuud van Nistelrooy will take charge of his fourth and final match as interim gaffer tomorrow.
And exciting is already building ahead of Amorim’s first game against Ipswich Town later this month.
The former midfielder has led Sporting to two titles during his time in Lisbon.
They already look on course for a third after winning all 10 of their league matches this season.
And Amorim proved his tactical acumen by smashing Pep Guardiola’s Man City 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
It now remains to be seen if he can bring a similar level of success to Man United, who are 13th after winning just three games this season.
And one player at Old Trafford will have to be on form if Amorim is to get any joy out of the squad.
Manuel Ugarte joined United this summer from Paris Saint-Germain for £50million after just one year in France.
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But before that, he was a key player at Sporting under Amorim and bossed the midfield in 85 matches.
Now, Amorim admits he can’t wait to unlock the best of Ugarte in a red shirt and believes the Uruguayan will soon prove himself to be a key player at Old Trafford.
Alamy
Ugarte played 85 times under Amorim at Sporting LisbonRexAmorim said: “All the Uruguayans I managed are incredible and that’s why I love them.
“Ugarte is a very talented boy and has a lot of room to grow.
“I am very happy to know that I have him back at Man United.”
Meanwhile, United are preparing to face Leicester tomorrow in Van Nistelrooy’s final game as interim boss.
Harry Maguire could be available for selection after returning to fitnes.
While Mason Mount will be hoping for minutes following some first-team training sessions this week.
Ruben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man Utd
WHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.
Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.
But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.
Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.
He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers.
The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.
And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.
Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.
Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.
United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.
For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for.
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