Ruben Amorim’s promise to Sporting Lisbon looks to have backfired (Image: Getty)
Ruben Amorim might be regretting his decision not to quickly snap up talent from his former team Sporting CP now that have struck a deal to sign the much-coveted Geovany Quenda – a young star previously on ‘s wish list.
The saga took an intriguing turn when it emerged late Thursday night that ‘s outfit had hammered out a transfer agreement for the Portuguese wonderkid, leaving observers startled given ‘s reported earlier interest in the 17-year-old. Quenda, capable of playing as both a winger and wing-back, was handed his first-team introduction by Amorim at Sporting before the coach departed Portugual to succeed at Old Trafford.
Following his arrival in Manchester, the 40-year-old coach emphatically claimed he wouldn’t poach any talent from Sporting, despite the persistent links of Victor Gyokeres and Goncalo Ignacio with moves away. He firmly stated: “I will not sign any Sporting player at Man United in January… then, what happens in the summer I don’t know. Sporting players are good players. We will see what happens..”
Though Amorim stayed true to his word during the January window, recruiting Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven instead, have managed to secure Quenda’s commitment – reportedly for a hefty £40million fee – although the prodigy is not expected to move to Stamford Bridge until 2026.
With the young player now off the table, Amorim faces a significant challenge in identifying his long-term right wing-back – a position that has proven problematic for United this season. Despite welcoming two new competitors in January, the United manager conceded that it was risky not to recruit more players suited to his 3-4-3 formation amid their league difficulties, reports .
“I know when I chose this profession that you have the risk of results ,and I knew when I came here I looked at the schedule, I looked at the team, it was my decision and changing everything in the middle of the season without new signings is a danger for a coach,” he confessed earlier this year.
Geovany Quenda will join Chelsea next year (Image: Getty)
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“But I have a clear idea of what I want to do and I take these risks because in the end it’s going to pay off. But I’m not naive, I said that many times, this is a sport of results and we are in a difficult situation.”
While United currently languish in 14th place in the Premier League standings, they’ve progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League following a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Thursday. A hat-trick from and a last-minute goal from Diogo Dalot ensured United’s 5-2 aggregate win as they now face Lyon for a place in the semi-finals. In the meantime, United will reunite with Ruud van Nistelrooy as they take on his struggling Leicester City side on Sunday before the international break.