WHEN Ruben Amorim and Kieran McKenna chat after the match at Portman Road on Sunday, they will have one 'special' thing in common.
Two young managers, still in their thirties, who were taught the art under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.
The man, who himself credits the great Sir Bobby Robson for his own rise to the top, has never been averse to lending a helping hand to those who want to follow him up the ladder.
Just ask Brendan Rodgers and Andre Villas-Boas, who worked with Mourinho at Chelsea, or Aitor Karanka, his number 2 at Real Madrid.
While plotting another victory in Lisbon a few months ago to keep Sporting on their way to a potential third Portuguese title, Amorim received a phone call to hear that Manchester United were interested.
After hanging up the phone, the first person he contacted for advice was the man he describes as his 'point of reference': Mourinho.
Considering how the self-styled Special One had become the 'redundant' thanks to United's dismissal in December 2018, in his third season in charge, you might have thought he would warn him.
Not a bit of it. 'Go for it' was the answer from the ex-Red Devils boss, who won the Europa League and League Cup during his time at Old Trafford.
Mourinho knew that the 39-year-old Amorim had the ability to lift the red giant, who is currently not so much sleeping as waiting to come out of a coma.
The current Fenerbahce boss recently said: “He has the conditions to coach in any league and he has the conditions to coach in any club.”
Mourinho soaked up all the knowledge he could under Sir Bobby, first as a translator at Sporting, Porto and Barcelona, and later when Robson brought him into the coaching formation at the Catalan giants.
With his playing days behind him, Amorim turned his attention to coaching and was always a student of the game, scrutinizing the likes of Antonio Conte and Mourinho.
Six years ago, while studying for a master's degree in high-performance football coaching at the University of Lisbon, he was offered the opportunity for a week-long internship at United, where Mourinho was in charge.
He effectively shadowed Mourinho in the week leading up to Arsenal's visit in April 2018, which would be Arsene Wenger's last game at Old Trafford as Gunners boss.
In that short time, Amorim learned every facet of how to be a top manager, even how to speak at a press conference, and he is already being compared to Mourinho in his media dealings… which is when he turns on the charm at the very least.
Amorim said: “The impact he had on my career was the way he treated me. He showed me that you can win everything and be a different person than you think.
“He is very experienced. In terms of my experience at Manchester, it was the only club where I interned.
“He is a special coach who has opened doors for us.”
That first door opened for Amorim in his native Portugal, at Casa Pia in the third tier, then Braga and on to Sporting, where his success in capturing two titles brought him to the attention of United.
38-year-old Ipswich boss McKenna was linked with the United job last summer when it looked like Erik ten Hag was on his way.
He knows the club well and has learned a lot under Mourinho when he was promoted from the club's youth academy to become his assistant after former winger Rui Faria left his side.
McKenna's playing career was cut short at the age of 22 due to a persistent hip problem at Spurs. But he remained there as a coach in their academy before making the switch to United.
Mourinho saw the talent in the coach and brought him on to the bench in May 2018.
McKenna said: “I have said before that it was a privilege for me to join his coaching staff, he is such an iconic figure for coaches of my generation.
“It was a relatively short period, but it was great to work and learn with him. You can see why he is so successful in his career.”
It was the fact that Mourinho achieved his success without a great playing CV that made McKenna realize he could achieve his dreams.
McKenna said: “The coaches who came before us, Brendan Rodgers and Mourinho, people of that ilk, came into management through different routes.
“They laid the foundation and showed what coaches from different backgrounds can achieve.”
McKenna was often wrongly labeled as a weak link on the training pitch when things started to go wrong under Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But he soon debunked that theory when Ipswich took a punt on him and he achieved back-to-back promotions to get the Suffolk club back into the top flight for the first time since 2002.
McKenna and Amorim face each other in the Mourinho derby on Sunday.
When the pair have a drink afterwards, they will undoubtedly raise a glass to the man who helped them along the way.
Someone who remains 'special' to both of them.
Comments