Ruben Amorim Ready for his New Challenge at Manchester United
After the convincing and spectacular victory of Sporting CP over Manchester City (4-1), Ruben Amorim looked ahead to the new adventure he is about to begin at Manchester United.
Amorim couldn't have asked for a better farewell. In his last home match as coach of Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese coach delivered an offensive recital to his fans against one of the best teams in Europe, Manchester City (4-1). Although they quickly fell behind on the scoreboard, the Portuguese side, led by a hat-trick from their star Viktor Gyökeres, responded in the best possible way and emerged victorious in this spectacular Champions League encounter. This success not only allowed Amorim to get revenge on Pep Guardiola, two years after a historic defeat (1-5) at the same stadium, but also to leave his team in style before embarking on his new journey as manager of Manchester United.
"The win helps a lot. I leave in peace for a new challenge, it was an incredible night, I love these fans. I was a Benfica fan since I was a kid, I played for Benfica, but these fans are amazing. It was a great journey, and after Sunday, I’ll begin a new one with a new team. We’ll have to play differently, I need to progress as a coach. It was a spectacular night," the Portuguese coach celebrated, carried off by his players after the game.
When asked about his upcoming clash with Pep Guardiola, whom he will face in the north of England, Amorim reminded everyone that his counterpart has much more experience than him and emphasized that this victory does not change the balance of power between the two coaches.
"I believe a lot in my new club"
"This is not the first time we’ve faced each other, there was that match two years ago when Manchester City beat us 1-5. He’s ahead in head-to-head matchups. He’s much better than me right now, but I believe a lot in my new club. We’ll start at a lower level, and we want to progress the team, we’ll see," he added in the press conference.
For his upcoming confrontation with Pep Guardiola in the Manchester derby, Ruben Amorim could suggest to his new club's board the idea of signing his Sporting star, Viktor Gyökeres.
"No, no, no, I can't joke about that right now! It was hard for me to leave (Sporting), and if I start joking about this with Gyökeres, I’ll get in trouble. It's my city, it's my country, so I will respect it. Viktor has to stay until the end of the season, and then maybe his life will go elsewhere," Amorim replied in an interview with TNT Sports when asked about the possibility of taking his star striker with him.
One thing is certain: with or without Viktor Gyökeres, the next Manchester United manager will try to begin his adventure with the Red Devils in the same way he ended his time with Sporting CP in the Champions League.
