Report: Ruben Amorim's ties aided Manchester City via Hugo Viana

A report says Ruben Amorim's move to Manchester United may have inadvertently helped Manchester City because of his close relationship with Hugo Viana, the club's director of football. The pair worked together at Sporting and remained close after both moved to the Premier League.

At Sporting they enjoyed success, recruiting players such as Viktor Gyokeres, Morten Hjulmand and Pedro Porro, and generating significant transfer income through sales including Porro, Matheus Nunes, Joao Palhinha, Nuno Mendes and Manuel Ugarte. Amorim also led Sporting to the 2020-21 league title in his first season.

According to the report, Txiki Begiristain hand-picked Viana as his successor at the Etihad and the two worked together for six months, with Viana settling quickly in Manchester thanks in part to his friendship with Amorim. Begiristain and Viana worked on several signings, and Viana later played a key role in bringing Marc Guehi to City for £20m.

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