Ruben Amorim reportedly wants Manchester United to unearth the next Cristiano Ronaldo as he urges the club to expand its scouting in Portugal.
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Amorim wants to expand Portuguese scoutingUnited have had joy with players from PortugalRonaldo among many success storiesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
Amorim believes the United scouting network is in urgent need of a revamp and that they can find the next gem in his native Portugal, according to the . The new boss at Old Trafford believes that the club have failed to truly spot any Portuguese superstars since finding Ronaldo at Sporting over two decades ago and is urging them to remedy their scouting methods and structure, further believing United have missed out on a series of players that could have signed had they been paying closer attention to the region.
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United sought and missed out on the signing of Joao Neves to PSG in the summer, and Portugal's brightest prospects in recent years – including Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Rafael Leao – have ended up elsewhere across Europe. Having just arrived from Liga Portugal, Amorim may look to sweep up the vast array of talent the league has to offer and may return in January to sign players from the division. United have been linked with Viktor Gyokeres and Geovany Quenda since Amorim joined the Red Devils.
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United have actually had some success signing from the Portuguese division in recent years, however. Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot have been regular names on the teamsheet since their arrivals in Manchester and have fared better than the likes of Bebe and goalkeeper Joel Pereira. Nani also had bright spells in England but they have not matched Ronaldo's feats when he first joined the club.
WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?
Before United can begin to think about signing any players in January they have games against Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle to see out the rest of the year. With the club still languishing in 13th place, Amorim will be eyeing three victories to propel his side up the table. However, with the Cherries and Newcastle competing for European places, victories are far from assured.