Incoming Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim will “100 per cent” bring Viktor Gyokeres with him to Old Trafford, says Tim Sherwood.
Amorim will reportedly replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd after the club decided to sack the 54-year-old on Monday.
The Dutch manager leaves Old Trafford having won a domestic cup in both his full seasons in charge but recorded the club’s worst finish in the Premier League last campaign.
Sporting boss Amorim quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the job, though it has been reported that the club’s hierarchy also discussed Max Allegri, Edin Terzic and Xavi.
There has been no shortage of rumours linking Sporting players to Man Utd with their head coach set to make the move.
Sporting’s best player is undoubtedly Gyokeres but there are some terrific talents at the club, including centre-backs Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande and 17-year-old winger Geovany Quenda.
Sweden international Gyokeres is one of the best goalscorers in world football and has found the back of the net 41 times in 2024.
That scoring touch would not go amiss at Man Utd, with their misfiring players contributing to Ten Hag’s sacking.
They were incredibly wasteful in Ten Hag’s final match – a 2-1 loss at West Ham on Sunday – and young strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
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Gyokeres – who has a 100 million euro (£83m) release clause – would likely have no such problems having thrived for Coventry City in the Championship before moving to Portugal.
The Red Devils might be reluctant to let Amorim raid his former club given their struggling ex-Ajax stars, but Gyokeres is someone the Portuguese coach will surely pursue.
Arsenal and Manchester City are also reportedly interested in the 26-year-old but former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Sherwood believes Amorim’s appointment means Man Utd are leading the transfer race.
“He [Amorim] will know,” Sherwood told Sky Sports. “The little detail – what he will learn in training about these guys.
“He needs to then decide, what do I need in January?
“Does he bring in Marcus Edwards with him? That boy is a superstar. He went from Tottenham [Hotspur] to Sporting.
“Do we bring Gyokeres? He’s absolutely on fire at the moment. I would suggest 100 per cent that boy comes in because they’re [United] starved of centre-forwards.
“They’ve got Hojlund, they’ve got Zirkzee, who’s not a centre-forward anyway, but they’ve got to get him out before they can bring players in, and that’s the problem.”
Man Utd are yet to announce the appointment of Amorim and it has been reported that his first match in charge will not be until November 24 when the Red Devils face Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
Assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is in interim charge until Amorim’s notice period at Sporting finishes and inspired a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
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