Retired Benfica icon and the club’s vice-presidential candidate Nuno Gomes confidently predicted that Ruben Amorim would manage the Lisbon giants one day.
Gomes is operating as the right-hand man to João Noronha Lopes, one of the leading contenders to run the Portuguese club when elections are held in October. Noronha Lopes has already deployed talk of a January move for Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva as part of his charm offensive and now appears to be turning his focus to the Portuguese figure on the other side of the city.
When faced with the prospect of luring Amorim away from Old Trafford back to the club he grew up supporting and playing for, Gomes was coy initially. “Ruben Amorim is the coach of Manchester United, I can’t answer that question,” he told Record before getting a little more ambitious. “One thing I know, Ruben Amorim will be the coach of Benfica one day.”
“João has already shown in recent years that he is capable of changing Benfica, to make it greater and different from what it has been in recent years,” Gomes concluded.
Ruben Amorim makes a tactical gesture during Man Utd’s clash with Burnley
Ruben Amorim made a big team decision ahead of the Manchester derby. / Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Despite establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting managers on the other side of Lisbon with Sporting CP, Amorim has a long-running connection with Benfica—and Gomes. The 40-year-old spent nine years on the club’s books as a player—three of which overlapped with Gomes.
While United’s current head coach made the most of his technical attributes to forge an admirable career as a fringe player for Iberian giants, Gomes was an undisputed star, enjoying a particularly prolific career for his national team.
The pair have remained friends and the assumption is that Amorim could be welcomed into the Benfica dugout should his time at Old Trafford come to an end. Current incumbent Bruno Lage boasts a fragile contract which expires in the summer and has received little reassurance of an extension.
Quite when Amorim will be available remains to be seen. United have endured a ruinous start to the new campaign, collecting just four points from as many Premier League matches. The Portuguese coach’s overall record in England’s top flight is similarly bleak; reading played 31, lost 16, drawn seven, won eight—half of which have been against newly promoted opposition.
United do not yet appear to be willing to sack their underperforming manager—more than £200 million ($272 million) was sunk into players to suit his specific system—but Amorim has routinely floated the prospect of stepping down. “Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years,” the enduringly honest tactician mused last month. “Sometimes I hate my players, sometimes I love my players.”
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE