Ruben Amorim risks repeating Erik ten Hag transfer mistake as he eyes first Man Utd deal
Ruben Amorim is reportedly targeting a move for his former Sporting Lisbon left-back Nuno Mendes, carrying on a trait from Erik ten Hag's reign after the Dutchman brought a number of his old players to Manchester United
by Oli Gamp · The MirrorRuben Amorim could be at risk of repeating Erik ten Hag's mistake of re-signing his old players at Manchester United after being linked with his ex-Sporting Lisbon star Nuno Mendes.
Amorim is gearing up for his first United game at Ipswich Town on Sunday and he will quickly determine which players he wants to keep and what areas might need strengthening to ensure the team finish as high up the table as possible.
The Daily Mail have reported Amorim is targeting a move for PSG left-back Nuno Mendes after identifying left wing-back as a position that needs more depth amid injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Mendes played under Amorim for just one full season in 2021-22 at Sporting before leaving for PSG and initially started as a key player for the Parisiens before seeing his game time reduce in the last two seasons.
The report says Mendes is one of three main left-back targets Amorim and United are looking at, with the others being Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies and Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez.
Mendes is not the only former player Amorim has been linked with. His Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres continues to be linked with United and Geovany Quenda has also been rumoured as a target.
While Amorim will be eager to bolster United's squad with players he has got the best out of in the past, that tactic backfired for former boss Ten Hag after he brought a number of his old Ajax stars to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag infamously spent £85million on Brazilian winger Antony in 2022 but he has failed to live up to his price tag and has scored just 12 times in 87 appearances. This season he has failed to make a start in the league.
The Dutchman also brought in ex-Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana and a group of defenders he had worked with at the Amsterdam club - Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui. While Martinez has performed well for United at times, the other two players could not inspire United to better results this term before his axing.
Amorim is expected to dip his toes into the January transfer window as he looks to stamp his mark on the club, but the Portuguese boss insisted he must have the final say on all transfers this week.
He said: "Everybody has to work together and for that we have to improve the process of recruitment, the data, the profile of players we want.
"But I have to have a strong position on that because I am the coach. I know how to play, so I think it's all together but the final word should be the manager. I have a great responsibility when we choose players because this is something that should be done this way. I'm the manager, the head coach, so I have to choose the players."
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