I watched Ruben Amorim transform Sporting CP - he won't be afraid to take risks at Man United

"Ruben Amorim brought greatness back to Sporting Clube de Portugal, becoming the most remarkable coach in the club's history - certainly in the last 50 years."

Those are the words of Portuguese journalist Pedro Castro Alves - who exclusively spoke to The Manchester Evening News to offer his insight into the manager Manchester United are poised to appoint. The 39-year-old coach has become a well-respected figure in Portugal for the success that he's had at Sporting CP over the last four years.

After the Lions paid a €10million (£8.3m) compensation fee to Braga to secure his services - which was an unusually expensive package for a Portuguese club to pay for a manager - many questioned if he made the step up too soon in his career having started his journey in management just two years prior.

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But the former Portugal midfielder didn't take long to win over his doubters. "When he came to the Alvalade, the club was a shadow of its past because they hadn't won the Portuguese league for almost 20 years," Alves told The Manchester Evening News.

"The club hadn't had regular appearances in the Champions League and had gone through five coaches in the last two years. They were still recovering from the crisis as a result of the invasion of their academy in 2018.

"In less than five years with the Lions, Amorim has won two league titles, three Taça da Liga titles and one Super Cup, but more than that, the club became fearsome to their rivals."

Amorim quickly became adored by fans as he ended Sporting's 19-year wait for a league title in his first campaign. The club