Gary Lineker’s high praise for one Manchester United star will be music to the ears of Ruben Amorim after the former Sporting CP boss arrived at Old Trafford.
Manchester United axed Erik ten Hag last month after the Red Devils’ poor start to the season before triggering the release clause in Ruben Amorim’s contract.
The Red Devils paid a £9.25m fee to bring the 39-year-old Portuguese manager to Old Trafford, with Amorim inking a deal with United until June 2027.
The new United manager had an impressive spell with Sporting CP, including leading the Portuguese side to two Primeira Liga titles and two Portuguese League Cups.
Amorim’s arrival on Monday at the start of the November international break also marked the end of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s spell at Old Trafford.
Ruud van Nistelrooy returned to the Red Devils in the summer as an assistant manager under Erik ten Hag before he was installed as interim manager.
The 48-year-old United legend led the Red Devils to three wins and a draw during his four-match stint as interim manager at Old Trafford.
Lineker talks up Man Utd talent
Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge of Manchester United will be after the November international break, with the Red Devils facing Ipswich Town.
The United manager will have time to work with his first-team players ahead of the trip to Portman Road for their Premier League clash on 24th November.
Kobbie Mainoo could play a key role for former Sporting CP boss Amorim, who could even deploy the United midfielder in a more advanced position on the pitch.
Speaking to GQ magazine, Gary Lineker spoke highly of Kobbie Mainoo after the United star’s breakthrough season at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag.
“He was performing consistently well in the side that wasn’t performing consistently well,” he said.
“That’s when you look at players and think that they might have something very special.”
Mainoo on seizing Man Utd opportunity
Kobbie Mainoo overcame a pre-season injury in 2023 before breaking into the United first team in the 2023-24 Premier League campaign.
The 19-year-old United star started in all 24 of his Premier League appearances last season and Mainoo scored three times and registered a single assist.
Mainoo’s impressive season at United led to his senior England call-up back in March before playing a starring role for the Three Lions at Euro 2024 in the summer.
The Stockport-born talent, whose current season has been disrupted by a muscle injury, welcomed the chance that United offered him to make a name for himself.
“I feel like at United it’s very much in the history that they play young players, going all the way back to the Busby Babes,” Mainoo said.
“There’s big writing up on the wall [at Carrington, the training ground] saying, ‘If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.’”
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