Ruben Amorim could be denied a reunion at Manchester United with one of his former stars.
When Ineos decided to hire Ruben Amorim as head coach to succeed Erik ten Hag, he promised not to sign any Sporting Lisbon players in January out of respect for his former side.
Ideally, Amorim wanted to join Manchester United in the summer but Ineos delivered an ultimatum that he had to join in November.
The only major signing made to strengthen Amorim’s side in the January window was the £25m deal for Patrick Dorgu. But Amorim will need reinforcements in the summer in multiple positions.
Now that his promise has expired, Amorim is free to raid his former club and bring some of Sporting’s brightest talent to join him at Old Trafford.
Arsenal could beat Man United to Morten Hjulmand
Ever since Amorim joined, there have been reports that United are interested in Viktor Gyokeres. A top-class striker will be at the top of Ineos’ shopping list in the summer.
However, Arsenal are keen on signing Gyokeres, and fresh reports suggest they could also beat United to Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
According to CaughtOffside, there are three Premier League clubs all firmly in the race to sign Hjulmand this summer – United, Arsenal and Tottenham.
The report claims that Sporting value Hjulmand at around £51m (60m Euros), which would put a sizeable dent in United’s already tight budget.
It is said that Arsenal are now considering Hjulmand as a top midfield target for the summer, and United’s interest isn’t as concrete as the two London clubs.
Not only could Arsenal jump ahead of United for Gyokeres, but now Amorim could also be denied a reunion with Hjulmand at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim is a big admirer of Morten Hjulmand
During their time together in Portugal, Hjulmand made 65 appearances under Amorim at Sporting, where they won the league title together.
Reports claim that Amorim ‘loves’ Hjulmand as a player, so it makes sense that he would want to bring him to Old Trafford, especially as he is a perfect replacement for Casemiro.
Amorim even called Hjulmand a “fantastic player and captain” during his final game as Sporting boss.
Christian Eriksen is set to leave this summer and Casemiro could also be pushed to leave before his contract expires next year. United will need to strengthen their midfield and Hjulmand is obviously experienced working under Amorim and his system.
When United swooped in November, Hjulmand raved about Amorim as a coach, adding that his management style was “not like I anything I have seen”.
They clearly work well together and could bring that successful relationship to Manchester, but it depends on whether Ineos will match Sporting’s asking price and go head-to-head with Arsenal and Tottenham for Hjulmand’s signature.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
