Ruben Amorim vows to bring the best out of Manuel Ugarte at Manchester United

Ruben Amorim has pledged to bring the best out of Manuel Ugarte when he takes over as Manchester United manager.

Amorim is set to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy as head coach on Monday, after overseeing one final match with Sporting Lisbon against Braga on Sunday.

He faces a challenging task at Old Trafford, with Man United struggling at the bottom of the Premier League table following a poor start to the season under Erik ten Hag.

Ugarte was one of the marquee signings in a £180million spending spree this summer, with other arrivals including Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, and Noussair Mazraoui.

The £50million acquisition from Paris Saint-Germain is yet to find his best form in a United shirt, having taken time to adjust to his new environment.

The hiring of Amorim – Ugarte’s former boss at Sporting, who transformed him into the midfielder PSG were willing to pay €60million (£50million) for in July 2023 – is seen as a major boost for the 22-year-old.

Ugarte thrived under Amorim during their two seasons together in Lisbon, and the excitement is mutual, with Amorim eager to help the talented midfielder reach new heights at Manchester United.

“All the Uruguayans I managed are incredible and that’s why I love them,” he said.

“Ugarte is a very talented boy and has a lot of room to grow.

“I am very happy to know that I have him back at Man United.”

Amorim will be reunited with another Sporting player at United in captain Bruno Fernandes, who made the move from the Portuguese side to Old Trafford in January 2020 – just a few months before Amorim arrived at Sporting.

While their paths have yet to cross, Fernandes is already a big admirer of Ruben Amorim, having closely followed his former club’s progress.

“I am a big fan of Sporting and watch a lot of their games obviously,” he told BBC Sport.

“He brought the excitement back to the club.

“It was a club that was a little bit split between board, fans, players when he came [to Sporting].

“It was a pretty difficult time at the club. He transformed everything around and brought everyone together.”

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