LISBON, Nov 4 — Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim is relying on red-hot striker Viktor Gyokeres to land a blow on future rivals Manchester City, in his final Champions League match at the helm on Tuesday.
The coach has agreed to take over at Manchester United on November 11 to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag, after coaching three final matches with the Portuguese champions.
The first of those was a thumping 5-1 league win over Estrela Amadora on Friday in which the unstoppable Gyokeres scored four times.
It took the striker to 16 league goals in 10 appearances, while he also has two strikes in three Champions League games this season.
“It wasn’t a normal situation (because of Amorim’s departure) but we handled it well and won 5-1, it was a good reaction from us, we have to remain professional and do things the right way,” explained Gyokeres.
“It’s sad that he’s leaving, he was excellent for us, we had a wonderful year.
“We have to adapt, but it’s difficult to talk about the future because we don’t know what will happen.”
Last season the 26-year-old Swede was the key figure for his team in his first season at the club as Amorim led them to only a second league title in the last 21 years.
Gyokeres was signed for a club-record fee of 20 million euros (RM95 million) plus add-ons from English Championship club Coventry City.
Both quick and strong, Gyokeres is a complete striker with a lethal finish and can threaten a Manchester City side shaken by injuries and a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The forward has a 100-million euro release clause which makes him an expensive option for prospective admirers, of which there are no shortage.
Flourishing under Amorim
Brighton plucked Gyokeres from Swedish club IF Brommapojkarna in 2018 and sent him on loan to German side St Pauli, where he played mainly on the left.
After loan spells at Swansea and Coventry, he signed permanently for the latter in 2021 and continued growing physically stronger.
In the 2022-23 season he scored 21 times in 46 Championship matches and it led Sporting to break the bank for him.
Gyokeres had eight Premier League options according to his agent Hasan Cetinkaya, but Amorim’s presence was an important factor in choosing Sporting.
“I only brought Gyokeres to Sporting because of Ruben Amorim,” he explained to Portuguese newspaper Record.
“(Because of) his strategy, how he plays, how he develops players.”
Amorim has helped Gyokeres flourish but the coach suggested he would not try to bring the striker to Old Trafford in the January transfer window.
“Gyokeres costs 100 million and it’s very difficult,” explained Amorim on Friday.
Sporting and Manchester City have both started the Champions League with two victories and one draw in their first three games.
Their clash in Lisbon offers Gyokeres the perfect stage to demonstrate the level he has reached, against the Premier League holders and 2023 Champions League winners, as well as to offer his departing coach one final gift. — AFP
