Well, INEOS must be thrilled they spent over £200m on new talent to appease Erik ten Hag after reluctantly retaining the Dutchman’s services at the end of the 2023/24 season.
The new co-owners will know that, by failing to sack Ten Hag in the summer, they may well have already compromised the club’s 2024/25 campaign.
His inevitable sacking has arrived just over two months into the season with United in 14th in the Premier League and without a win in the Europa League. It’s been a woeful start, but one INEOS believe to be salvageable.
Instead of allowing Ruud van Nistelrooy to take interim charge for the short term, United are intent on acquiring Ten Hag’s long-term successor right away. They seem to have chosen wisely in Ruben Amorim, with the highly-regarded and already well-decorated Portuguese coach poised to enter the fray soon.
Amorim, as Ten Hag tried but failed woefully to do, will want to build this Red Devils outfit in his image. He’ll enter the job working with Ten Hag’s players, but it won’t be long before he’s asking the hierarchy for some cash to prise away a few of whom he’s familiar from the Portuguese capital.
Here are four Sporting CP players Amorim could bring with him to Manchester United in 2025.
Assuming Amorim immediately installs the three-at-the-back system that worked a treat in Lisbon, United look pretty well-stocked at centre-back to cope.
Leny Yoro’s return to full fitness will be a big boost, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are capable operators in the centre, while Lisandro Martinez will be the number one choice for the left-sided role. Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot, and Noussair Mazroui are full-backs capable of playing in a back three, too.
Ousmane Diomande could tempt Amorim if he fancies bolstering the heart of his defence, but the young defender is not yet a bonafide leader and is still incredibly raw. It’d be a risk splashing out on him.
Inacio, meanwhile, is a cultured operator who’s mastered the left-sided centre-back role in Amorim’s back three. He’s caught the eye of Liverpool in the past, with the defender blossoming as a ball player. Inacio’s notably progressive with his passing and is a tidy technician all-round.
There may be a couple of concerns on the assertiveness front, especially when jumping out of defence, but Inacio is still young and has plenty of room to develop further. He and Martinez could share the responsibility of performing Amorim’s LCB role.
When assessing how Amorim could set his United side up with this squad, the immediate questions lie at wing-back. Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are injury fiends, while Dalot has enjoyed a tough season so far. Mazraoui isn’t a natural fit.
Investment out wide will be paramount in 2025, and the new boss could turn to 23-year-old Catamo, who looks like the next gem Amorim has unearthed in the Portuguese capital.
Catamo is adept off both flanks and enjoyed his breakthrough season at Sporting in 2023/24 after a couple of loan spells. The dynamic operator arrived in Lisbon as a winger but has developed into a hugely promising two-way wing-back who’s remarkably quick and, as a result, can recover in a flash.
His physical attributes render him ideal for Amorim’s aggressive approach without the ball, and his winger background means he excels in offensive one-on-one situations. He’s a better front-footed defender compared to when he’s forced to defend in a block, but Catamo’s improvement as a defender overall has been very impressive.
Ten Hag was blessed with talented individuals in midfield, but structural issues meant United were constantly overrun in the middle of the park.
Amorim should supply superior coherence without the ball that shouldn’t expose his double pivot in Manchester, and the new boss certainly has options in regard to installing a harmonious and well-balanced midfield dynamic.
He’s generally been quite conservative with the profiles he’s used in midfield; favouring well-rounded operators as opposed to specialists.
However, with Christian Eriksen into the final year of his contract and Casemiro on the wrong side of 30, United are poised to dip into the market next year.
Hidemasa Morita is an excellent stabiliser with progressive tendencies but is 29 and perhaps an unwise investment, so Danish international Hjulmand, who’s similar in profile, could be the smarter move.
Hjulmand immediately established himself in Amorim’s set-up after joining the club in 2023 and was a regular during their title-winning campaign. The 25-year-old is functional and smart with the ball, immense in duels, and a superb blocker of space. How well he’ll cope with Premier League transitions is another matter.
Watching Amorim’s Sporting even at the start of the manager’s tenure (they won the league during his first full season), you felt they were still missing a piece.
In 2022/23, for example, Amorim leant on the underwhelming talents of Paulinho and a young Youssef Chermiti up top. His teams were wonderful to watch in full cry, but they often lacked a killer instinct in and around the opposition’s box.
The final piece to Amorim’s jigsaw would arrive via Coventry with Swedish international Gyokeres joining the club for a fee barely in excess of £20m. Sporting are bound to quadruple their money (at least!) on the Swede in 2025.
Gyokeres has been nothing short of unstoppable in Lisbon, with his demonic channel-running and supreme athleticism seeing Amorim evolve his Sporting team into a far more direct unit. Gyokeres’ goals inspired Sporting to Liga Portugal glory last season, with the 26-year-old scoring 57 times in 64 appearances for the club.
The former Championship star has garnered the attention of Europe’s elite, and Amorim may well tempt Gyokeres, who already has several Premier League suitors, to the Theatre of Dreams. However, the Portuguese manager may fancy his chances of developing young Rasmus Hojlund into a player of Gyokeres’ ilk to save INEOS a bit of cash. Hojlund is similar stylistically and capable of thriving under Amorim’s tutelage.
