Manchester United need attacking additions this summer and Ruben Amorim may bring in a player he knows very, very well.
The March international break is coming to an end, and that means there is one final push towards the end of the season.
This has been another turbulent campaign for Manchester United, with Erik ten Hag sacked back in October.
Ruben Amorim found some results before the international break as United beat Real Sociedad in the Europa League and Leicester City in the Premier League.
Amorim will want to recapture that momentum against Nottingham Forest next week but may already have one eye on the summer window.
Attacking additions are paramount, and it’s no surprise to see United linked with Hugo Ekitike, as the Eintracht Frankfurt striker shines in Germany.
Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images
Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images
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Other targets are needed, and United In Focus understands that Trincao was on the United radar as Amorim arrived in November.
Amorim not only coached Trincao at Sporting but also at previous club Braga.
Reports suggest Sporting want £30million for Trincao this summer, making him much cheaper than Simons.
Trincao was Portugal’s hero against Denmark on Sunday, scoring twice off the bench to secure a big UEFA Nations League win.
Amorim was surely impressed with that performance and with United still keen on Trincao, he could be a name to watch for the summer.
Ruben Amorim connection to Francisco Trincao highlighted
Trincao won’t be short of interest this summer.
AC Milan have been linked with Trincao, whilst Manchester City’s interest in Trincao was reported in March.
United may yet have the upper hand, with Amorim a key man in Trincao’s story.
Former Braga B coach Rui Santos has now spoken about Trincao and his connection to Amorim.
As quoted by Noticias ao Minuto, Santos praised Trincao for his improvement off the ball.
Santos feels that Trincao has become a ‘true warrior’ and has the right mindset to go alongside his technical quality.
Santos added that Amorim ‘never stopped believing’ in Trincao when he was being criticised so much.
The former Barcelona talent was touted as a wonderkid but has been through ups and downs over the years.
Amorim kept the faith in Trincao ‘when everyone else doubted him’, according to Santos, which could pave the way for a United reunion this summer.
“Trincão’s secret to this consistency is related to the number of games and minutes he has in his legs and head,” said Santos. “This is how a player is formed. The mental work that Trincão has been doing has made him more complete. Not only in his participation in the offensive process, but also in defence.
“In addition to his technical quality, what I have noticed is his defensive commitment. He has a mental attitude of never turning his back on a fight. He could be an athlete who arrived at Barcelona and became complacent, but he is a kid who never turns his back on a fight and is a true warrior. Anyone who works like this, combined with technical ability, has everything to succeed as he did on Sunday in the national team.
“We know that Ruben Amorim is a great coach and a great trainer of athletes who have excelled at Sporting. At a time when Francisco Trincão was being increasingly criticised, the coach never stopped believing in him. He always supported him. Often, it is this invisible work that we have to do and we have to have complete trust in a player. In this case, Ruben Amorim was one of the pillars for Trincão’s success. In the past, many people had doubts and now everyone is certain. It is no coincidence that now there is talk of renewal and of him being one of Sporting’s captains.
“Their rivals in Manchester, and obviously Sporting being a big club, are two of the great giants of football. Furthermore, United has one of Trincão’s ‘fathers’, Ruben Amorim, who has always believed in him. When an athlete is going to take on new projects, he cannot put aside the financial aspect, but he also has to think about the next step.
“At Sporting he is having a fabulous return, but here everything is aligned because, in addition to the financial aspect, we had a very important part: working with someone who believed in him when everyone else doubted him,” he added.
The step up from Portugal’s top flight to the Premier League is not an easy one.
Darwin Nunez was a goal machine for Benfica but has failed to replicate that success in England.
Bruno Fernandes is a success story though, and United would be looking for Trincao to make a similar impact.
Trincao’s disappointing loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers is in the past now, and Amorim may believe that he can bring the best out of him at Old Trafford.