Man City's unwanted role in Man United's Ruben Amorim appointment could be welcome distraction

Manchester City will travel to the club where their next sporting director is still employed next week, and they will do so without a whole host of their injured stars.

But all the attention next week in Lisbon will be firmly on Sporting manager Ruben Amorim and his expected move to Manchester United.

There is every chance Amorim will still be in charge at Sporting for City's Champions League visit - it is widely reported that he will only take over from Erik ten Hag at United during the November international break, leaving him to serve a notice period including the clash with City.

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So when the Blues take a slice of Mancunia to Lisbon next week as reigning World Champions and 2023 European Champions, they may be bumped down to the second biggest story from Manchester. It's a feeling City fans will be firmly used to when travelling abroad and mentioning their hometown, only to be met with the reply: '"United?"

While it may jar with a few Blues, the distraction could benefit them. They are in the middle of a biting injury crisis and will take a thin, stretched squad to Portugal. They will always be favourites for games like these, and won 5-0 on their last visit to Sporting., but Pep Guardiola knows how difficult that last game was and how clinical City were to disguise the true nature of the contest.

With Amorim likely taking charge of his final home game, it adds unpredictability that Guardiola will not like.

There will, of course, be questions about Hugo Viana, the chosen successor to Txiki Begiristain at City who will