Ruben Amorim plots Man Utd transfer overhaul in quest for next Cristiano Ronaldo

Ruben Amorim is urging Manchester United to build a brand-new scouting team in Portugal.

The new United boss believes the club's network in his homeland has dropped off since it brought Cristiano Ronaldo to the club 21 years ago - and wants a reboot.

Ronaldo was signed from Sporting as a teenager in 2003 and under Sir Alex Ferguson, he became a goal-scoring legend at Old Trafford before moving on to Real Madrid. Nani, another Portuguese and Sporting winger, also had a successful stint in Manchester. But Amorim has concerns that the top young talent in his home country has been missed by United in recent years.

Only Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, who were signed in 2020 and 2018 respectively, have made a significant impact at United in recent years and young stars from Portugal have increasingly gone elsewhere in recent years.

Players like Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias ended up at rivals Manchester City, whether via stepping stone clubs like Monaco or direct, others from the region have slipped through United's net, with Chelsea's Pedro Neto cited as a prime example.

Wolves initially signed the Portuguese winger as a teenager after he had moved to Italy with Lazio, before selling him to Chelsea for £54million. Neto had been tracked by United BEFORE his move to Italy.

Another is Joao Neves, who PSG signed last summer to replace Manuel Ugarte when he chose to move to United.

Now, former Sporting coach Amorim is determined to ensure United are ready to seize the opportunity as a new wave of potential stars emerges in his homeland. Sporting wing-back Geovany Quenda, despite being only 17, was given his head by Amorim, is already a full international and carries a hefty price tag of £25million. Similarly, Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva, at just 20 years old, is valued at almost £50m and is seen in some quarters as a younger version of Dias.