The question is, will Ruben Amorim take the Erik ten Hag route when it comes to making signings at Manchester United?
Under the Dutchman, Manchester United signed no fewer than six players who had previously shared a dressing room with Ten Hag at Ajax.
And while the failure of such an approach has been rather overblown – Antony the only one who can really be considered a flop – suggestions that Ruben Amorim could be the first of many Sporting employees to swap Lisbon for England’s north west has some concerned that United will again rely not on ‘what they know’ but ‘who they know’ in the transfer market.
Man United had been linked with Viktor Gyokeres – a striker Dan Ashworth knows from their time together at Brighton and Hove Albion – long before Amorim’s arrival.
Now, wonderkid winger Geovany Quenda has emerged as potential Red Devils option after he played a starring role in that Champions League destruction of Manchester City. Morten Hjulmand is another with admirers at Old Trafford.
Whether United will end up pursuing Gyokeres, Quenda, Hjulmand or any of Amorim’s other Sporting lieutenants, only time will tell.
But, ahead of what will be his farewell outing against Braga on Sunday, Amorim was reminded of the time he named Pedro ‘Pote’ Goncalves as the first Sporting player he would take with him when the time came to leave the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Ruben Amorim discusses potential Pedro Goncalves to Manchester United move
So, does that mean Man United fans can expect to see the so-called ‘new Bruno Fernandes‘ line up against the original version at some point?
“Pote has to focus on Sporting. Signings are not made because [I have already worked with] this or that player. It has to do with the team’s needs and style of play,” Amorim explains during his press conference.
“All of that counts. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Once of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Pedro Goncalves has blossomed into one of Europe’s most free-scoring midfielders in the Portuguese capital.
That near-50 yard lob to help knock Arsenal out of the Europa League, of course, being the most memorable of his 81 Sporting strikes.
Amorim explains admiration for so-called ‘new Bruno Fernandes’
“Pote can play for any team in the world with any coach in the world because he is a great player,” Amorim adds of a man who has a £66 million release clause in his contract. “He is not the most eye-catching player, but I repeat what I said; I could take Pote anywhere.
“He is funny, which helps a lot in personal relationships, and he is very intelligent. You saw his last game [in that Man City win], his ability to defend and attack. He is a great player.
“He has to focus on Sporting, because it is very important for us to be champions this year. But, speaking as Sporting’s coach, Pote can play for any team in the world.”
The Sporting supporters can rest easy for now, at least. Amorim insists that, while a raid of the Portuguese champions in the summer of 2025 cannot be ruled out, there will be no January pursuit.
“I’m not going to look [to sign] anyone from Sporting in January,” the 39-year-old promises. “I don’t know what I’m going to do in the summer. The main thing is to hold on until the summer.
“The second thing is to see what happens. Sporting’s players are great players and we’ll see what happens.”
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