Man Utd’s next Ronaldo? Amorim dream threatened by Guardiola

Robin Bairner

12 Mar 2025 02:55 CDT
5 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo, Man Utd, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has learned that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is out to stop one of the summer deals that he has lined up.

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Amorim promised not to raid former club Sporting CP during January, but the summer could provide the former boss the opportunity to make signings from the Lisbon outfit, who the Red Devils famously signed Cristiano Ronaldo from in 2003.

Now the Old Trafford side are hopeful of concluding a deal for another attacker to follow that path, which has also been trodden by Bruno Fernandes.

Numerous players have been linked with the Red Devils from Sporting, including Geovany Quenda and Viktor Gyokeres, yet there is another player that the Man Utd head coach would love to sign: Francisco Trincao.

Landing the 25-year-old looks an increasingly difficult task for the Old Trafford side, with TBR Football reporting that Man City have added themselves to an extensive list of clubs seeking to sign the star.

Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool are all interested in the former Barcelona star, who has little over a year left to run on his deal.

STATS

Francisco Trincão

F (R), AM (C)

Sporting CP

Francisco Trincão

F (R), AM (C)

Sporting CP

25

Games
8

Goals
10

Assists

Amorim is said to have given his green light for a deal to be completed, with Trincao having posted eight goals and 10 assists in 24 Liga Portugal games this season. Operating as a shadow striker, he is putting up the type of offensive numbers that Man Utd would love to profit from.

He has had a brief flirtation with Premier League football before, having turned out for Wolves on loan in the 2021/22 campaign. Trincao struggled to make an impression at Molineux, scoring only three goals in 30 outings.

Trincao’s stats speak for themselves

A more successful spell in England would surely be guaranteed under Amorim, who has helped him to become one of the best-performing wingers in Portugal, lagging only club-mate Pedro Goncalves.

Although he is a little older than many players Man Utd may target at 25, he crucially has sell-on potential. Trincao’s current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is €21.2 million, but if he can replicate the numbers he has enjoyed in Portugal while at Old Trafford, this figure would explode.