- Ruben Amorim will take up his role as Manchester United boss on November 11
- The Portuguese has been linked with bringing stars from Sporting Lisbon to Old Trafford
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Dimitar Berbatov has picked one Sporting Lisbon star he believes will join Manchester United under Ruben Amorim.
Amorim, 39, was confirmed as United’s new boss last Friday, but he will not start until Monday, November 11.
The Portuguese has had a major impact at Sporting over the past four and a half years, leading the club to two Primeira Liga titles and two domestic cups.
Amorim will take charge of a United team that has struggled badly so far this season, with the Red Devils sitting 13th in the Premier League and yet to win in the Europa League.
The 39-year-old is expected to reshape United’s squad in the coming years and former United star Berbatov highlighted one player he believes Amorim will try to sign from Sporting.
Dimitar Berbatov has picked a Sporting Lisbon star he believes will join Manchester United
Berbatov claimed he thought the star would follow Ruben Amorim to Old Trafford
The former United star backed Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres to move to the Premier League
“It’s interesting because this guy is Viktor Gyokeres,” he continued Monday night football.
‘He’s scoring goals for fun at the moment. So I think there is a special bond with the coach, so maybe we can see him in a United shirt.
‘For what he’s showing now, I think so (I’d like to see United sign him).
‘Because at the moment our strikers are not scoring and scoring the goals we see from Viktor Gyokeres, 16 in the league, which is embarrassing for the status of a club like United.
“So this is a position I would like to see improvement in.”
Gyokeres, 26, has had a tough route to the top. The Swedish striker, who has scored ten goals for his country in 24 appearances, made a name for himself at Coventry City after failing to break through at Brighton.
Gyokeres scored 43 goals in 116 appearances for the Sky Blues before moving to Sporting in the summer of 2023 for €24 million.
In Lisbon, the 26-year-old has had a remarkable impact, scoring 63 goals and providing 19 assists in just 66 games.
This included 20 goals in 16 games this season and Gyokeres has a €100 million release clause, something that has alerted several major clubs across Europe, including Arsenal.
Speaking last Friday after scoring four times in Sporting’s 5-1 win against Estrela, Gyokeres was pressed and refused to rule out a move to the Premier League.
‘Are you going to Man Utd with Amorim? “I don’t know… I’m here,” he said. ‘As you can see, I am enjoying my time at Sporting. It’s nothing I think about. I’m just sad that he (Amorim) is leaving. We wish him all the best.
Gyokeres scored 63 times and provided 19 assists in just 66 appearances for the Portuguese side
Amorim previously insisted he would not sign any Sporting players in January
‘Of course it is not a normal situation, but we won 5-1 and the team responded very well. We are professionals and we must continue like this. We are sad to see him leave, he is a great professional, he was fantastic for us, but we have to adapt.
“It is difficult to talk about the future, but we will certainly do the same work and continue to do our best. We wish him the best. It’s very good for him.’
Meanwhile, Amorim was also asked if he would look to Sporting for recruits while at United.
“Gyokeres costs €100 million and it is very difficult,” he said. “I’m not going to sign any players from Sporting in January.”