Manchester United are moving closer to appointing Ruben Amorim as their new manager, reuniting the Portuguese coach with a familiar face from his past.
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Sporting Lisbon announced on Tuesday that United is prepared to activate Amorim’s £8.3 million release clause, making him their top choice to replace Erik ten Hag…Continue Reading
United’s captain, Bruno Fernandes, has openly praised Amorim, showing great confidence in his fellow countryman’s potential for success in the Premier League.
New summer recruit Manuel Ugarte is also likely to be enthusiastic about Amorim’s possible arrival at Old Trafford. The two spent two seasons together at Sporting, where Ugarte joined from Famalicao for £4.5 million in August 2021, initially as cover for Joao Palhinha.
However, Amorim’s faith in Ugarte grew quickly, and by December, he was starting over Palhinha in Sporting’s victory over Benfica in the Lisbon derby.
Ugarte went on to play in every match for the rest of that season, firmly establishing himself as a key part of the team.
Building on this success, Ugarte continued to excel, starting in all but six of Sporting’s Primeira Liga games during the 2022-23 season and playing a crucial role in their memorable Champions League victories against Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham.
Although a 2-1 loss to Frankfurt in the return match ended their chances of progressing to the knockout stages, Amorim still held high regard for his determined midfielder.
‘They gave everything,’ the manager said. ‘We wanted to have fresh players and keep our idea going. It was a forced substitution, as I wasn’t going to take Ugarte off because even though he was tired, he was a player who always fought a lot -with and without the ball.’
Sporting fell short of winning the Portuguese title that season, and in the summer of 2023, Ugarte bid farewell, moving to Paris Saint-Germain for £51 million after rejecting an offer from Chelsea.
To fill the gap left by Ugarte’s departure, Sporting brought in Danish international Morten Hjulmand, a player Amorim had long admired.
When discussing the contrast between Ugarte and Hjulmand, Amorim candidly pointed out certain areas where Ugarte lacked, especially in terms of his game-reading abilities.
“They are completely different characteristics’, Amorim said in September 2023. ‘Morten doesn’t have Ugarte’s ability to find players from all sides of the pitch with incredible speed. Morten has, and Ugarte didn’t have, the ability to read the game, anticipate moves and be well positioned.
‘We have to adapt the team to the players we have and Morten will also adapt to our way of playing, to our high pressing.’
Sporting clinched the Portuguese title last season, with Hjulmand playing a pivotal role in midfield and Viktor Gyokeres delivering an outstanding 43 goals in 50 games up front.
After securing Sporting’s first title in 19 years during his second season, Amorim continued to develop the team over the next three seasons, leading to this second championship victory last May.
Although he expressed his admiration for players like Ugarte and Palhinha, Amorim hinted at a desire to shift away from that style of midfielder, describing Hjulmand as a “more complete player.”
‘The big difference is that we have improved in our organised attack. We had the principles of the first year, when defensively we were very good, but we didn’t spend much time in organised attack,’ Amorim said.
‘We spent a lot of time creating offensive nuances and then we discovered what kind of players we need.’
He added: ‘We are always growing and I think we have to be clearer in defending in 4-4-2 and we have to change some characteristics that will help us in the future. It’s a normal evolution and then there’s also the merit of scouting.
‘I love Palhinha and Ugarte, but I would say that Hjulmand is the most complete player in his position. I’m certainly no longer their favourite coach, but it’s a matter of everyone at the Academy understanding our playing philosophy.’
Ugarte joined Manchester very late in the summer transfer window, and early signs suggest Ten Hag has been hesitant to rely on the 23-year-old.
So far this season, Ugarte has only started four games and has seen just two minutes of Premier League play since his rough outing in the 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham in September.
However, his promising performance against Fenerbahce in the Europa League offers hope, and the arrival of his former coach in Manchester could lead to a revival of his prospects.
If Amorim is appointed, though, he may have his own approach for addressing United’s long-term midfield issues.
