Manchester United are keen to raid Sporting CP in the wake of announcing Ruben Amorim as their new coach, it has been reported, as they look to turn around their disastrous start to the Premier League season.
Amorim appointed Ten Hag's successor
Less than a week after the announcement of Erik ten Hag leaving Manchester United, the Red Devils confirmed that Ruben Amorim would step into the vacancy in the Old Trafford technical area.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements”, the Red Devils announced.
“He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.”
Ten Hag was well backed in the transfer window by the Manchester United hierarchy, bringing in several of his former Ajax players to the club during his two year tenure including Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs De Ligt in the most recent transfer window, as well as the infamous arrival of Antony in a deal worth £86m.
It is expected that Amorim will be afforded the same luxury, and that could see him return to Sporting to land fresh talent, with his 3-4-2-1 system not one that United’s current squad appear well suited to as things stand. Now, a surprise name has been put forward as his potential first signing.
Report claims Sporting forward on Amorim's radar
That comes as reports in Spain claim that Amorim is considering an attempt to bring former Wolves and Barcelona forward Francisco Trincao to Old Trafford in the upcoming transfer window.
Though United would likely be keen to poach some of Sporting’s top talent, heavy spending in recent seasons means that money is tight at Old Trafford, meaning that the likes of Goncalo Inacio, Pedro Goncalves and Marcus Edwards could all be off the table.
However, Trincao represents an excellent opportunity, with the Portuguese forward reportedly available for just €15m (£12.6m).
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Still just 24-years-old, Trincao has already tasted Premier League action during a loan spell at Wolves, where he found the net three times in 30 appearances, though those outings were largely as a substitute.
However, it was under Amorim during the pair’s stint together at Braga that Trincao hit the headlines, enjoying a campaign that persuaded Barcelona to shell out £26m to sign him in 2020, before he fell out of favour and returned to Sporting on loan, before being signed permanently.
Having now played under Amorim over 100 times, he understands what the new Manchester United boss wants from his forward players and is enjoying a resurgence in his career in Portugal, having grabbed three goals and five assists in nine outings so far this season.
Trincao under Ruben Amorim (Braga and Sporting)
Appearances
128
Goals
31
Assists
21
Yellow Cards
5
Utilised largely as a right-winger, the Portuguese talent could solve United’s right-sided headache, and the arrival of a low-cost but well suited addition to the squad would demonstrate a major departure from previous transfer policies where reputation was placed above fit in the starting XI. For just £12m, Trincao could be a very savvy addition.