Rio Ferdinand says Sporting Lisbon forward Viktor Gyokeres could be the number one target for incoming Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim, after the Swede netted a hat-trick in Sporting’s emphatic 4-1 victory against Manchester City on Tuesday.
The former Coventry City striker has enjoyed a remarkable first season in Portugal and continued his impressive form this term, scoring 11 goals in his last five appearances under Amorim.
Gyokeres joined Sporting in 2023 after netting 22 goals for Coventry in the Championship and scored 43 goals in his debut season in Portugal.
He has already added 23 this campaign, with three of those efforts coming against the reigning Premier League champions on Tuesday night.
Gyokeres’ hat-trick has once again fuelled speculation about his next career step, with Ferdinand now wondering if he will be one of the players Amorim targets for United from his Sporting squad:
“Managers when they leave clubs, there’s always one of two players, you know, I’ve got to take that.
“Who is that guy going to be, if he’s going to take someone from Sporting Lisbon? After the way [Gyokeres] was playing in the last few weeks, 11 [goals] in five games, is he going to be the number one target for the new manager of Man United?”
Amorim, who takes charge of Man United on Monday, recently revealed he would not be signing any players from Sporting in January – seemingly as a show of respect to his previous club, which he led to two Portuguese titles in 2021 and 2024.
Multiple Premier League clubs were linked with Gyokeres throughout the summer transfer window, and if Man United enter the race for the 26-year-old, they are likely to face tough competition from English rivals.
Sporting’s impressive victory over Man City placed them second in the Champions League standings after Tuesday’s matches, two points behind Liverpool, who maintained their perfect record by hammering Bayer Leverkusen.
Viktor Gyokeres’ Sporting Stats (2024/25 Primeira Liga) | |
Games | 10 |
Goals | 16 |
Assists | 1 |
Expected goals | 12.1 |
Expected assisted goals | 2.3 |
Minutes played | 884 |
Statistics courtesy of Fbref and Transfermarkt. Correct as of 05-11-24.