There are suddenly a lot of reasons to be excited about the prospect of Manchester United’s future under Ruben Amorim.
A truly outstanding coaching talent, the anticipation was palpable as Ruben Amorim’s Sporting destroyed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side with a fearless, nearly faultless display of intensity and identity.
It has not gone unnoticed, meanwhile, that Amorim appears to have quite the penchant when it comes to making talented youngsters the centrepiece of his project. Fitting, really, given Manchester United’s proud academy traditions.
Brilliant centre-back Ousmane Diomande is one of the first names on the Sporting team sheet at the age of just 20.
Teenager Conrad Harder has nine goal contributions already since arriving from Nordsjaelland over the summer. And hat-trick hero Viktor Gyokeres wasn’t the only Sporting star who impressed the Man United supporters in midweek either, 17-year-old Geovany Quenda dazzling once again wide on the right of Amorim’s wing-back system.
Quenda has already been tipped to follow his manager to Old Trafford. But, while Rasmus Hojlund could yet fill the Gyokeres role under Amorim, perhaps Man United already have their answer to Geovany Quenda too.
Manchester United fans back Bendito Mantato to shine under Ruben Amorim
Bendito Mantato might not be the most well-known member of Man United’s 18 roster – see Harry Amass, Ethan Wheatley and Jack Fletcher, while Chido Obi-Martin scored again in Saturday’s beating of Everton – but he might just be one of most likely to benefit from Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
Like Quenda, Mantato excels when keeping the width, pulling right onto the touchline and driving forward with those bustling, jinking runs of his.
Mantato has been likened to Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka for a reason, equally adept at driving down the outside as he is drifting into the centre.
Gary Neville feels Man United have a squad well-suited to Ruben Amorim’s system already, particularly in the defensive areas.
A three-man backline of Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, on paper, feels rather iron-clad.
Whether Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui possess the explosiveness to fill that right-sided wing-back role, however, only time will tell. Perhaps the long-term answer to a potentially problem position might lie not in Man United’s first-team squad but in their uber-talented Under 18 set-up.
Mantato, of course, is still only 16. He was only a few months old when Edwin van der Sar denied Nicolas Anelka on a drizzly night in Moscow.
But Quenda is only nine months the teenager’s senior, and clearly Amorim has few qualms about entrusting someone so young with such an important role if he deems them ready. And it might just be that Amorim has a role which suits Mantato perfectly at Man United.
Bendito Mantato scores alongside Chido-Obi Martin in 3-0 Everton win
Watching Mantato run Everton ragged before getting his name on the scoresheet with a left-footed fizzer in stoppage time, there was no shortage of Man United fans predicting a bright future for Bendito Mantato under Ruben Amorim.
‘In terms of making the jump, I back Mantato. I really, really like this lad. [He will succeed] especially under Amorim,’ one wrote on X as Adam Lawrence’s team maintained their 100 per cent record in the Under 18 Premier League.
‘Mantato could be our own Quenda at RWB under Amorim you know…,’ agrees another.
‘There is nobody better suited for Amorim in the entire club than Bendito Mantato — at either wing back spot,’ one supporter argues, while another believes that ‘Bendito Mantato will own RWB under Amorim one day.
‘Started as a left back but was so electric offensively that he was moved to right-wing [against Everton].’
We’ve already had Fergie’s Fledgings, while Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho will always be Ten Hag’s Tots.
Now, could Bendito Mantato become the first of the Amorim Alumni?
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