Ruben Amorim ready to give green light to €20m signing as new coach gels with scouts

Ruben Amorim is likely to give the green light to Manchester United using Benfica defender Alvaro Carreras’ release clause, according to reports.

Although Amorim has been appointed as Manchester United’s new head coach rather than manager – meaning he won’t have as much control over player recruitment as his predecessors – the Portuguese tactician could help them in their ongoing search for former academy product Carreras.

Manchester United sold Carreras to Benfica back in May after a loan spell that started in January, but they included a €20m (£16.8m/$21.8m) buy-out clause in the deal, which could come in handy given that his clause to release other clubs is worth 50 million euros. (£42.1m/$54.4m).

Recent update from Give me sport has confirmed that Manchester United are still keeping an eye on Carreras in case they decide to bring him back to Old Trafford, with Amorim’s appointment only likely to increase their chances of a move.

Indeed, since Carreras joined Benfica in January, Amorim has kept abreast of his progress while coaching Sporting. Thus, Carreras is being watched not only by Manchester United scouts, but also by their new head coach.

Amorim prefers a three-at-the-back formation that would place more emphasis on the full-backs, but on the left flank he may question the longevity of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malasia after their injuries in recent years.

And while directors such as Dan Ashworth have greater influence over Manchester United’s transfers in their new sporting structure, the new head coach’s feedback on how Carreras could fit into his structure is expected to provide further justification for a potential player recall. who was never able to come off the bench on his senior debut in his first spell at Manchester United.

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Carreras has not yet played against Amorim

Benfica and Sporting have yet to go head-to-head this season but did so three times in the second half of last season (once in the league and twice in the cup) after Carreras arrived in Portugal.

Interestingly, Carreras remained an unused Benfica substitute on all these occasions. Consequently, he has never actually played against Amorim’s side and will not until the Sporting manager officially joins Manchester United later this month.

However, his 29 appearances for Benfica against other teams have attracted attention in Portugal and Amorim is clearly not forgetting that.

And the situation is under Manchester United’s control thanks to their success in securing a buyout clause for the 21-year-old, for whom they have also secured loan spells at Preston North End and Granada in the past.

Carreras has also been linked to several other clubs in recent times. including Real Madrid – whose academy he left to join Manchester United back in 2020 – as well as Barcelona and even Liverpoolbut, as already stated, any of them will command a higher price than what Manchester United can bring him back for.

Under current circumstances, Carreras’ contract with Benfica runs until 2029.

Who will be the first to sign a contract with Amorim?

Benfica have no right to reject Manchester United’s €20 million offer, meaning that if the Red Devils put that money on the table in January, Carreras could become the first signing since Amorim took charge.

However, there have naturally been plenty of Manchester United transfer rumors of late about other players who could be on Ashworth’s radar.

For example, TEAMtalk learned that Amorim would be in favor of three Sporting players following him at Old Trafford: namely Gonzalo Inacio, Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves.

There were also contacted another Sporting defenderand a prolific striker for the Lisbon team Victor Giokeres commented on his chances of following in the footsteps of Amorim.

It should also be recalled that Carreras is not the only left-back linked with Manchester United. Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is one ambitious option, but he is likely to sign for Real Madrid in 2025, while Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell could be a more realistic target for Manchester United. identifying the reasons for their preference.

How would Carreras fit into Amorim’s team?

As stated, Amorim will likely follow the 3-4-3 system he used at Sporting once he inherits the Manchester United squad.

Left-back is one of the key areas that may need an upgrade to suit his system, with regular starter Shaw yet to feature this season. Malasia has not played since the season before last.

Above all, Carreras would be a more natural left-back than anyone who has had to fill in for him in recent times. A left-footed starter, he has played 97.5% of his career appearances as either a left-back or left wing-back.

While it should be emphasized that Benfica use a back four formation under Bruno Lage, Carreras’ previous experience while still under Manchester United may have given him the understanding that he needed to play in a formation like Amorim’s. . .

Indeed, when he played for Preston in the 2022/23 season, Ryan Lowe’s side regularly used Carreras as a full-back in front of a back three. In fact, he played 27 of his 42 appearances for Preston as a full-back.

He has also played in a similar role at times for Granada so should be able to understand how Amorim wants his wide backs to play – even if his record of one goal and nine appearances from 85 senior appearances doesn’t help. suggest that he was the most attacking defender at the moment.