Amorim played a pivotal role in Gyokeres' career, bringing him to Sporting in 2023 from Coventry City, then a Championship club. During two seasons in Portugal, the Swedish striker scored 79 goals in 102 matches, contributing significantly to Sporting's back-to-back league titles.
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Amorim celebrates with Gyokeres after Sporting's 4-1 victory over Man City in the 2024-2025 Champions League group stage. Photo: Sky |
Amorim celebrates with Gyokeres after Sporting's 4-1 victory over Man City in the 2024-2025 Champions League group stage. Photo: Sky
This summer, Gyokeres was linked with a reunion with Amorim at Old Trafford, but ultimately joined Arsenal for a total of 86 million USD. The forward could start against Man Utd today, facing the manager who helped elevate his career.
"It's a different league, much more physically demanding," Amorim warned Gyokeres during his pre-match press conference at Old Trafford. "Sporting has an excellent scouting system, buying players and developing them for sale, and Gyokeres is an example. He's very good, brings a different style of play. With Arsenal, the difference will be very clear if they start Gyokeres or Kai Havertz."
Amorim is confident Man Utd will show a different side after enduring their worst Premier League season and losing the Europa League final. "We can't change everything in just 4 weeks, but the situation is better," he expressed. "We're training harder and more effectively, and the players' mentality is also completely different. I'm confident that the team is ready for the demands of a big match."
For the first time in 11 years, since the 2014-2015 season, Man Utd are not competing in European competition. This allows Amorim to fully focus on the Premier League and domestic cups.
"The goal is to bring Man Utd back to Europe," the Portuguese manager emphasized. "It's not easy to say when you're the manager of this club, but we have to be realistic. The league has many teams more cohesive than us, but Man Utd will fight every game. For now, the only goal is to beat Arsenal."
This summer, the "Red Devils" overhauled their attack, spending over 250 million USD to acquire Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko. Among them, Sesko is the most expensive and highly anticipated, likely to take Rasmus Hojlund's starting spot.
Amorim said the 22-year-old striker is ready to play, despite only having one week of training with his new club. "We don't have much time, but he's physically ready. Sesko has enormous potential, enough to become Man Utd's number one striker for many years," the 40-year-old manager stated.
Compiled by Hong Duy
