Ruben Amorim hints at Man Utd move for Sporting midfielder: ‘I could take him anywhere’ | Football

Amorim was officially confirmed as Erik ten Hag’s replacement last week and will make the move to the Premier League on Monday after managing Sporting for the final time for their league game away to Braga on Sunday evening.

Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres, who scored a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League this week, has already been linked with a switch to United, though Chelsea and Arsenal are also keeping tabs on his progress in Portugal.

But Amorim is adamant that United will need to wait until next summer before attempting to sign any Sporting players.

‘I won’t in January, that’s what I said. I don’t know about the summer,’ Amorim said on Saturday.

‘The first point – to hold on until the summer. Sporting’s players are very good players. I don’t know. We’ll see.’

Ruben Amorim says Sporting midfielder Pedro Goncalves ‘can play for any team in the world’ (Shutterstock)

Goncalves, meanwhile, has been a key player in Amorim’s system at Sporting and has played an integral role in both seasons where the team won the Portuguese league.

When asked specifically about a potential move for Goncalves after he becomes United manager, Amorim said: ‘He can play in any team in the world and with any player, because he is a great player.

‘I could take him anywhere. He is very funny, which improves the personal relationship.

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‘But he is also very intelligent, but he also has to focus on Sporting because we have to be champions this year. But he could play in any team in the world.’

Amorim was also asked about preparing for his first press conference in England once he makes the move to United next week.

‘I’m ready, of course I’ll have to think a lot about the words,’ Amorim said.

‘This conference I had there will be much more basic. But I’ll have to be very intelligent. Manchester United is always the club that people talk about the most there. But I’m not worried either. English won’t be my biggest problem.’

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