Sensational Ronaldo, Amorim reunion at Man Utd talked up by former Old Trafford star

Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United as a player or coach is possible under Ruben Amorim, though the striker is expected to go down a different path and emulate David Beckham, according to one pundit.

Former Man Utd ace Teddy Sheringham believes Amorim would be open to Ronaldo moving back to Old Trafford after the Portuguese icon previously fell out with his predecessor, Erik ten Hag. Amorim and Ronaldo already know each other well, having represented the Portugal national team together during the manager’s playing days.

In an interview with Flash Score, Sheringham said: “Cristiano Ronaldo would be very welcome back at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, but he is onto bigger and better things.

“I think that Ronaldo will follow in the path of David Beckham in doing things away from coaching, higher profile things around the world.

“I’m sure he’d be very, very welcome in any capacity coming back to the club, but I doubt that he’ll be a coach.”

Ronaldo will likely have big respect for Amorim after he ended Sporting CP’s 19-year wait for a league title. As per Portuguese reporter Marcus Alves, Ronaldo has nicknamed Amorim ‘the poet’ due to his great communication skills.

Ronaldo has been playing for Al-Nassr since leaving United for a second time in November 2022. There has been speculation he might go into coaching but, as Sheringham points out, he is more likely to continue working on his global brand.

The all-time great could even go down the Beckham route by becoming the owner of a club, such is his vast wealth.

United are in need of an experienced striker, and Ronaldo would still bag plenty of goals for them at the age of 39, as he showed when he returned to the side in August 2021.

But Ronaldo joining United for a third time would be a big surprise given the fact INEOS would not want to meet his colossal wage demands.

Instead, a younger centre-forward is likely to join United amid concerns over summer arrival Joshua Zirkzee.

Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres is one option, particularly after his hat-trick against Manchester City, though Amorim has ruled out any January raid on Sporting out of respect for the club.

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Man Utd news: Pundits wax lyrical over Amorim

Several pundits have hailed Amorim after he masterminded Sporting’s shock victory over City in the Champions League.

Journalist James Horncastle has suggested the former Benfica midfielder could be the ‘Cristiano of managers’ given his strong Sporting links.

Although, Horncastle did go on to explain the huge task Amorim is facing to make United successful once again.

Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, has predicted that United’s players will want Amorim to come in straight away, to give them the feel-good factor.

Ferdinand also named one of Amorim’s traits he is most excited about seeing in action.

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How will Amorim fare in England?

By Samuel Bannister

Amorim has come up against three different English clubs during his time in charge of Sporting: Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

His record reads more positively than negatively, although more than half of his clashes with Premier League sides have finished as draws.

In February 2022, in the Champions League round of 16, Amorim suffered a 5-0 defeat at home to Man City, before claiming a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium.

In the following season’s group stage, Sporting won 2-0 at home to Tottenham and drew 1-1 away. They finished third in their group, dropping down into the Europa League.

Subsequently, in March 2023, during the Europa League round of 16, Amorim oversaw two draws with Arsenal (2-2 in Lisbon and 1-1 in London) before his side won on penalties.

He certainly saved his best until last against an English club, though, with Sporting’s stunning 4-1 win over Manchester City in the league phase of the Champions League in his last home match before taking the reins at Manchester United.

Overall, Amorim has earned an average of 1.43 points per game against Premier League clubs – a tally he will be looking to improve in his new role. His goal difference against English sides is 0, since Sporting have both scored and conceded 10 goals across these seven games.

It has given Amorim a decent base to work from in terms of getting results against English clubs, but there will be much intrigue as to how he adapts on the Man Utd touchline.