‘Bernardo Silva backs me as Portugal successor – now I’m Amorim’s top target’

Manchester United have reportedly set their sights on a young Portuguese sensation who has been praised by Bernardo Silva.

United are starting a new chapter with the arrival of Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP. The new boss has quickly tried to leave his mark, with Ruud van Nistelrooy leaving his coaching position after the decision was made not to retain him.

And Amorim is not only bringing in his trusted backroom staff from Sporting, but he could also poach some of the club's best players. Fresh from his Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City, striker Viktor Gyokeres is seen by many as a potential target.

However, there is also a lot of fuss about Geovany Quenda, the young winger who etched his name in the history books as the youngest ever goalscorer for the club at 17 years, five months and 27 days – a record that eclipses Portuguese great Simao and even Cristiano. Ronaldo.

Amorim is a big fan of Quenda, who is now a top transfer target for United as they consider offloading big-money flop Antony in January, the Daily Star reports.

“He's a very talented kid,” Amorim said of Quenda. “Physically very strong, very focused, with feet firmly on the ground. That is very important for a young player.

“He got his chance and there was no chance of taking it away. No doubt about it. I think he's going to be a great player, but let's give it time.”

Bernardo, 30, is another admirer and says the youngster could 'steal' his place in the Portuguese national team. The City playmaker said: “He will probably steal my place. At 17 I wasn't even playing for Benfica's youth team.”

He could potentially take his place at City, who are also believed to be tracking the youngster, with sporting director Hugo Viana set to move to Premier League champions Sporting next summer.

Benfica was actually Quenda's first big club before being snapped up by their city rivals in 2019 and becoming a star of the club's Cristiano Ronaldo Academy. This season he has been integrated into the first team, playing mainly as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation.