Fabrizio Romano reveals how stubborn Amorim cost Man Utd ‘generational’ talent | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano explains why Sporting CP teenager Geovany Quenda wasn’t too keen on reuniting with his old boss Ruben Amorim, which prompted his decision to choose Chelsea.

Since making the mid-season move from Lisbon to Manchester United, the 40-year-old has been expected to launch onslaughts on some of his former players, and chief among them are Quenda and Viktor Gyokeres.

But while the Swedish bomber’s future remains to be decided, the 17-year-old winger’s next has already been revealed earlier this week. Despite being elevated to the first team last summer by Amorim, the youngster, who has been described as one of the best rising talents in his generation, has agreed to join Chelsea who also struck a full agreement with Sporting CP.

As Romano explains on his YouTube channel, the Red Devils missed out on their transfer target for two main reasons.

How Ruben Amorim’s presence deterred Geovany Quenda

First, INEOS were keen to lure the Portugal U21 startlet to Carrington immediately in the summer, while the Blues are happy to leave him in Lisbon for another year on loan before arriving in West London in the summer of 2026. This manoeuvre was decisive to convince the Portuguese champions who agreed to sell their prized asset for €51 million.

As for the second reason, it had to do with Amorim. While most of us expected that the manager’s presence to play a key role in favour of the Red Devils, it turned out to be quite the opposite. As Romano explains, Quenda doesn’t fancy playing as a wingback in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, or even as an attacking midfielder.

The youngster is a natural winger who enjoys one-on-one situations, so he feels a 4-3-3 formation (or its derivatives) would bring out the best of him. On the other hand, the stubborn Man Utd is unlikely to change his playing system despite being urged to do so by a host of pundits who noted how he doesn’t have the right personnel to play with three defenders at the back.