Man Utd given green light to make £39m move for ace Ruben Amorim described as 'perfect for the way we play'

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ruben Amorim bring in a few players who he has coached before in order to suit his 3-4-3 system at Old Trafford.

This season the Manchester United players have struggled in Amorim’s system, hoping to keep their hopes of silverware alive in the Europa League against Lyon on Thursday night.

The United boss has been linked with a move for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, but he has also attracted a lot of attention from Arsenal and could move to the Emirates Stadium instead. Gyokeres is not the only of Amorim’s former players to be linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer.

Man United eyeing move for Sporting CP’s Inacio

The Red Devils are likely to sign a player in defence this summer in order to replace the departing Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof, whose contracts expire at the end of the season.

According to reports in Portugal, one player that has been linked is Sporting CP centre-back Goncalo Inacio, who has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford in the January transfer window.

Inacio played as the left-sided defender of the three in Amorim’s 3-4-3, and has made a total of 35 appearances for Sporting this season, scoring five goals and providing three assists.

According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, United are watching Inacio who could be sold for £39 million, despite the fact that he has a £52m release clause in his contract at Sporting. His deal at the club isn’t due to expire until June 2027, meaning that Sporting would likely want to sell him before letting him leave as a free agent when his deal expires.

The report also claims that Sporting are opening to offers for the player, giving the green light to United to try and make their move. The reduced £39m price could also see the Red Devils move quickly to get Inacio in the door at Old Trafford.

Liverpool and Arsenal were both linked to Inacio last summer, but any reports of interest from the title rivals has cooled this season, putting United in the driving seat to sign the 23-year-old Portuguese defender.

Amorim is very fond of Inacio

Seeing as there is a connection between Amorim and Inacio, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see. United look to sign the defender due to the amount of success that Amorim had whilst he was managing Inacio at Sporting.

Whilst he was at the Portuguese club he said in a pre-season press conference: “Gonçalo is perfect for the way we play. He can defend aggressively, step up to win the ball, and then start an attack with one pass. His ability to do both phases so well is rare.

“I’ve said it before—Gonçalo has everything to play at the highest level. His technique, his vision, his bravery. He’s brilliant, and he’s still improving every day.”

Seeing as Amorim views Inacio as a player who suits his system perfectly, he could make the move to the Red Devils as the current crop of United players haven’t managed to excel in his 3-4-3 formation this season, and Amorim will need players who can play in his system. With Amorim rigid with his set-up, Inacio’s ‘perfect’ fit in Sporting’s side would directly translate to United under Amorim.

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