All eyes were on Viktor Gyokeres – including Manchester United’s – as a Ruben Amorim-deprived Sporting Lisbon hosted Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
But, while the free-scoring centre-forward may be just about the first name on everyone’s lips when discussing candidates to follow Ruben Amorim to Old Trafford, Viktor Gyokeres is far from the only Sporting star with admirers at Manchester United.
According to reports coming out of Portugal this week, Man United have held initial talks with Geovany Quenda; the wonderkid with a £50 million release clause and a Bukayo Saka-esque skillset.
The Premier League giants have been linked with Morten Hjulmand too, as well as left-sided centre-half Goncalo Inacio, silky winger Francisco Trincao, and Sporting’s Bruno Fernandes successor Pedro ‘Pote’ Goncalves.
Unsurprisingly, given the Amorim connection and with so many potential transfer targets taking to the field at the very same time, Man United did not waste the opportunity to take a closer look.
- READ MORE: Champions League/Europa League 24/25: What is the new format? Will it affect Manchester United?
Manchester United watch Ousmane Diomande’s Sporting nightmare
According to the Daily Mail, scouts working on behalf of the Red Devils were in attendance at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. And what they witnessed – in a 5-1 obliteration which did little to quell the concerns about Lisbon life post-Amorim – would hardly have been the basis of a glowing scouting report.
Trincao was largely anonymous. Inacio was part of a backline which conceded five times. Hjulmand was swamped by Arsenal’s buzzing array of ever-rotating forwards. Goncalves missed out through injury.
And the closest Gyokeres came – marshalled brilliantly by William Saliba – was when he rattled the frame of David Raya’s goal with the game all-but over as a contest.
Yet, no one emerged from the wreckage with greater damage to their reputation than Ousmane Diomande.
The defensive colossus who, just last week, was reported to have spoken to Amorim. Diomande is allegedly leaning towards Manchester United over their suddenly crisis-hit neighbours Man City too, per Sky Sports.
But on a night in which Pep Guardiola’s brittle backline cracked and creaked once again – a 3-0 lead sacrificed at home to Feyenoord – Diomande hardly presented himself as a viable solution.
Diomande looked lost as Gabriel Martinelli tapped in a seventh minute opener at the far post; reduced to merely watching and hoping as Jurrien Timber played his cross between the defence and Sporting’s goalkeeper. Kai Havertz then drifted easily off his shoulder to double Arsenal’s lead.
Worse was still to come. Drawn out of position by a clever Arsenal one-two around the edge of the box, a desperate attempt to make amends saw Diomande dive in from behind and send Martin Odegaard sprawling.
Not only a stonewall penalty, but also one of the most ill-advised attempts at a last-ditch tackle you will see anywhere in the Champions League this season.
Sporting hammered by Arsenal after Ruben Amorim exit
The Camarote Leonino fan site, meanwhile, obviously felt they had little choice but to hand Diomande the lowest match rating possible.
“He returned to his apprentice days when he got very little right. [Diomande] made many mistakes and errors,” they write, the £66 million release clause in his contract looking more expensive by the minute.
“[Diomande] received a bizarre yellow card after just four minutes which conditioned him for the rest of the game, and [then he gave away] the penalty that finally ended the team’s hopes of obtaining a positive result.”
A Bola were a little less harsh, albeit far from complimentary. They gave Diomande a 3/10. This was not the certainly sort of performance which will have Manchester United’s new-look recruitment team shifting Jarrad Branthwaite from first to second in their list of central defensive targets.
Yet, context is required. Diomande is only 20 years of age, after all, and far more experienced defenders than him would have found themselves chasing shadows against an Arsenal attack clicking ominously into gear.
Diomande is now also without the guidance of Ruben Amorim. The coach whom Diomande’s emergence as one of the finest defensive talents in the game can be attributed to.
Though, with Manchester United’s scouts watching on from the stands, the chances of an Amorim reunion at Old Trafford might just have got that little bit smaller.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
