Manchester United transfers: Amorim to attack rivals Sporting with brilliant first move

New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is likely to ask to sign Alvaro Fernandez Carreras, fears one Portuguese pundit – and the Red Devils already have a buyout clause for the Benfica star.

Amorim agreed to lead Manchester United following the recent dismissal of Erik ten Hag. United paid €11m (£9.2m/$12m) to secure a deal with Sporting that met Amorim’s €10m release clause and included extra money for his backroom staff.

The 39-year-old will remain at Sporting for the upcoming big games against Manchester City and Braga before taking up the job at Carrington on November 11 at the start of the international break.

There has already been a lot of speculation about which players Amorim will be pushing to sign for United next year, especially players from Portugal.

Former Portugal star Alvaro Magalhães has expressed concern that Amorim would attack Benfica’s prolific left-back Carreras in one of his first appearances as United manager.

Carreras left United to join Benfica on loan in January and the deal will become permanent this summer, but Amorim’s new side have the option to re-sign him for €20m (£16.8m/$21.8m ).

“I’m afraid that Ruben Amorim wants him to be at Manchester United,” Magalhães told the Portuguese publication. Bola.

“It seems to me that he has the qualities to be one of the first options and, looking at the team, I believe that with the new coaching staff he can be a possibility again, especially because the new coach knows him very well, based on what he saw from him at Benfica.

“It would have been great if Benfica had the opportunity to stop him from escaping, but now the decision is not only in the hands of the club.”

Magalhães added: “This ability to respond to adversity seems to be his strength. Great players only succeed if they are very strong mentally, and that seems to be the case.

“Anyone who is weak cannot play for Benfica, just as he cannot play for Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich or PSG.

“If he was weak, he would have already been released from Benfica and would have shown quality in another team.

Benfica have managed to avoid losing any of the players we have to fight to keep, thanks to his qualities. I hope he gets lucky and continues his great season.”

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Magalhães’ prediction may soon come true. On Saturday it emerged that Amorim’s appointment had been postponed. increased United’s chances of reuniting with Carreras.

United’s recruitment bosses have already considered re-signing the defender given his impressive form for Benfica, and Amorim looks set to greenlight a deal in the near future.

Carreras’ best performances also saw him appear on the radars of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona. But United has the right to be the first to withdraw from the Spain U21 team and can therefore be considered the leader.

United could also sign Carreras at a price well below his market value. Their £16.8m buyout option is much lower than the €50m (£41.9m/$54.4m) buyout clause in his Benfica contract.

There have been rumors that Carreras would prefer to join La Liga giants Madrid or Barca, but Amorim’s arrival should help convince him to return to Old Trafford.

Bringing back the talented 21-year-old would give Amorim a more reliable option at left-back/left wing-back, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malasia both out for long periods due to injury.

Carreras’ move to United would also provide a boost to Sporting by weakening one of their main Premier League rivals.

Carreras first joined United in September 2020 after previously representing Madrid’s academy. He continued to develop through United’s youth ranks and also had spells on loan at Preston North End and Granada before heading to Benfica.

The youngster has never appeared in the United first team, but that could change in 2025 if the Red Devils strike.

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Meanwhile, former United defender Gary Neville has advised strikers Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho be more like their counterparts at Arsenal, City and Liverpool if they want to continue to be key players under Amorim.

“I’m not going to give up Rashford and Garnacho, but I will because they are two players who have come through the ranks. I think there is a certain merit in this: you are an academy player, and thanks to this you receive some support from the fans, there is enthusiasm for them,” the expert said.

“They’ve been in the team now, Rashford for a few years now and Garnacho for a couple of years or so, but when I watch (Bukayo) Saka, (Leandro) Trossard and (Gabriel) Martinelli (for Arsenal), I watch Bernardo Silva and ( Phil) Foden for City, or I watch the Liverpool players. I watch them all rush back, harass and huddle with real intent.

“I just saw (Malo) Gusto running forward (for Chelsea) down the other side in the first half and couldn’t believe how much space he was getting. The first ethic is to work hard.”

Elsewhere, United midfielder Ugarte spoke of being reunited with his former Sporting manager Amorim for the first time.

“My teammates asked about him a lot. What surprised them was his age.” Ugarte said.

“He is also very hungry to win and that is very important. I can tell he’ll love it.”

On the appointment itself, Ugarte added: “It’s positive, mainly because the club needs to start paving the way, and that’s important, and the coach will play a key role in that.”

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