Why Ruben Amorim to Man United will almost certainly derail key Liverpool transfer plan – opinion
With Manchester United expected to hire Ruben Amorim, we can perhaps expect to see the new manager once again looking to be reunited with those he knows well, including former players.
Amorim is sure to bring in his own coaching staff once his move to Man Utd is complete, with iNews already reporting on how this means Ruud van Nistelrooy’s stay at Old Trafford could end up being a short one.
The Portuguese tactician might also be tempted to do what Erik ten Hag did before him, and sign his own players from his former club, even if that didn’t work out particularly well for his predecessor.
Ten Hag brought in Lisandro Martinez and Antony in his first summer since joining from Ajax, and later also recruited familiar faces in Andre Onana and Matthijs de Ligt.
Martinez has mostly performed well, while the jury is perhaps still out on Onana and De Ligt, and Antony has undoubtedly been a spectacular flop.
Ruben Amorim may need to de-Ten Hag this United side
As much as anything, this United squad has Ten Hag written all over it to such an extent that a new manager surely has to make personnel changes in a bid to move on from the previous man in charge.
Defence would be a good place to start, with Sporting Lisbon centre-back Goncalo Inacio making sense as someone who could be seen as an ideal signing for Amorim at his new club.
CaughtOffside understands Inacio is also firmly on Liverpool’s radar, with the Reds in need of a top young defensive talent like this to come in as a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk, who is in the final few months of his contract.
Still, Inacio could be an upgrade on De Ligt in the United defence, while more depth will also surely be needed as Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have completely fallen out of favour and are themselves close to being free agents.
Inacio has developed well under Amorim, so it would surely be mutually beneficial for them to continue together if possible, even if Liverpool would also be a tempting destination for the Portugal international.
Some United fans might be uneasy about repeating what Ten Hag did by simply signing Amorim’s former players, but other clubs have shown it can be done well, with Mikel Arteta benefiting from bringing in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, while Pau Torres has been a big hit since following Unai Emery from Villarreal to Aston Villa.
This doesn’t seem ideal for Liverpool, who would probably have had the edge over MUFC in the race for Inacio if not for the Amorim factor, meaning Arne Slot may now have to look elsewhere for top defenders to replace the ageing Van Dijk, which will be no easy feat.
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