The Swedish striker from Sporting Lisbon has established himself as the hottest forward in European football at the start of this season.
Rúben Amorim packs his bags. He exchanges Lisbon for Manchester. He swaps Sporting for United. The Red Devils paid 10 million euros to secure the Portuguese coach, who, during his last outing with the Lisbon club, sent a clear message to the Premier League. In his final match following his tenure at the José Alvalade Stadium, he masterminded a stunning 4-1 victory over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. And he did it with Viktor Gyokeres, undoubtedly his most valuable asset, in sensational form.
It was surprising last season that none of the big clubs came forward to sign the Swedish striker. The year before his arrival in Portugal, he had enjoyed an impressive run in the Championship with Coventry, scoring 22 goals and making 12 assists. However, his real explosion came a year later. During his debut season with Sporting Lisbon under the management of Amorim, he scored 43 goals and provided 14 assists. Now, a year later, he confirms that his remarkable performance was no fluke. In 17 matches this season, he has already scored 23 goals and provided 4 assists. Currently, in terms of individual level, ferocity and threat, Gyokeres stands out in Europe, even eclipsing players like Haaland.
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Questions remain surrounding his performance outside Portugal, but for now, he is the striker to watch. His recent form speaks volumes: he scored against Sturm Graz, found the net against Famaliçao, scored a double against Nacional, a poker against Estrela Amadora, and a hat-trick this Tuesday against Manchester City. It remains to be seen whether the Swedish striker can handle the change of direction.
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Amorim has always employed a formation of three central defenders with pistons, combined with two versatile midfielders, both combative and technically gifted, as well as two attacking midfielders playing behind the striker.
In this system, characterized by the mobility of the three attackers, Gyokeres thrived. He’s a center forward comfortable shifting, stretching the opposing defense with intelligent runs into space… In short, he’s a striker capable of sowing discord across all three attacking lanes.
How he will adapt at United remains to be seen. The Red Devils have a squad capable of integrating well into this system. Under the leadership of Ten Hag, they suffered defensively after losing possession. A three-man defense could help rectify this problem. Ugarte, who was previously coached by Amorim in Portugal, could be pivotal in midfield. Up front, with Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, and the tireless Rasmus Hojlund, they could create a formidable attack.
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