“It’s very important that Amorim succeeds at Manchester United” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal teammate makes feelings clear on new Red Devils boss
PSG left-back Nuno Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate, wants his compatriot Ruben Amorim to succeed at Manchester United. The former Sporting CP boss has arrived at Old Trafford to succeed Eric ten Hag, who faced the sack after an underwhelming start to the season.
Amorim, 39, is one of the game's best young coaches, winning two Primeira Liga titles with Sporting CP. Having played under the new United boss for two years, Mendes wished Amorim luck as he embarks on a new adventure in English shores.
“I think I just have to congratulate him,” Mendes said about Amorim (as per United in Focus). “I think he is a coach who has done everything for football and is having great success in football. But I think he has the potential to do much more than what he has already done.
“I just want to wish him the best of luck, both to him and to the (Portuguese) players and coaches abroad. I think it is very important (that Amorim succeeds at Man United), and that is all I have to say.”
It's pertinent to note that Ronaldo fell out of favour with Ten Hag during his second stint at Old Trafford and left by mutual consent midway through the 2022-23 season.
Although the Dutchman delivered two titles during his two years at Manchester United, the club's worst-ever start to a Premier League season eventually saw Ten Hag get the boot.
Meanwhile, Mendes and Ronaldo are expected to start for Portugal in their UEFA Nations League clash with Poland on Friday (November 15).
How Cristiano Ronaldo fared at Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players to grace the beautiful game, having scored a record 908 times for club and country. That includes 145 goals across two stints at Manchester United.
Arriving from Sporting CP as a precocious teenager in the summer of 2003, Ronaldo blossomed into a world-beater in six seasons at Old Trafford under the tutelage of the legandary Sir Alex Ferguson.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 119 times in six seasons and helped the Red Devils to three straight Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo eventually left for Real Madrid in 2009, where he spent nine seasons - scoring a record 450 goals - and another three at Juventus before returning to Old Trafford in 2021.
After a decent 24-goal first season back at the club, Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on a free transfer in December 2022.