Ruben Amorim is ready to start his first summer transfer window as Manchester United manager while he prepares for his former Sporting Lisbon fellow fellow to move to Manchester City
Ruben Amorim transformed Sporting Lisbon into the best team in Portugal with a limited budget and the support of the man who will help Pep Guardiola Mastermind Manchester City this summer. He does not doubt that he can work on the Oracle again, together with Jason Wilcox at Manchester United.
Amorim's good friend Hugo Viana goes to Etihad as the replacement for the director of the city of football Txiki Begiristain – and will have a lot of money to splash new players. In the city in United it is up to technical director Wilcox to work with the Portuguese to be absolutely sure that every cent counts.
Amorim insists that when he asks Wilcox – formerly the boss of the Academy of City – for large signing sessions, he does not expect much money. Cash for new players is scarce in a club that has £ 1 billion debts and has been left by neighbors who no longer have to create a noise to feel their presence.
Amorim said: “There are characteristics that we don't have in our team and we try to see the holes we have. When I say that we need 'big players', I am not talking about players of Real Madrid. I am talking about players in the way I see the game. Of course money helps!
“We have to be really good at recruitment. We have to know our system and the way we play – and the players must be perfect for their positions. So we know what to do, that is clear and we will see next season.”
Amorim is confronted with Guardiola in Old Trafford and has already done a song on the City Boss for both Sporting and United this season. City needs the points to be eligible for the Champions League. For United, the first stage of their Europa League quarterfinals in Lyon is a larger game. But both managers will have very different budgets in the summer.
It was Viana who took a chance on Amorim four years ago when he made a raid on Braga for their 34-year-old coach. Although it was constantly postponed by Benfica and Porto, the couple worked together to recruit and develop players such as Joao Pauilinha, Pedro Porro, Manuel Ugarte, Matheus Nunes and Viktor Gyokeres.
Sporting ended their 19-year-old waiting for the Portuguese title in 2021 and were champions again last season. Now Wilcox, the Premier League-winning winger with Blackburn 30 years ago, is Amorim's sounding board in Old Trafford.
Amorim said: “United is a different context (to sports) and another competition, but we were in a similar position – and perhaps even lower. I was lucky to work with Hugo and I notice that I have more or less the same relationship with Jason. So in that part I am completely relaxed.
“It's different because the competition here is different, but of course we have to have a great bond. I am really enthusiastic for the next season and really stressed because I put a lot of pressure on us.
“We are unlucky with injuries, but if you look at the Premier League, everyone is unlucky with injuries, so I don't like to concentrate on that. But I discovered that (alejandro) Garnacho can play on the right and that (ayden) the sky is ready to stay with our team and that we can now change the way we can.
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