‘It’s Never Happened to Me’—Viktor Gyokeres Sheds Light on Ruben Amorim Relationship | OneFootball

Viktor Gyökeres remains full of praise for his former Sporting CP boss and current Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim, despite a sudden exit.

The relentless Swedish scorer enjoyed the best form of his career for Amorim at Lisbon. Between his arrival in Portugal two years ago and Amorim’s abrupt departure for United last November, Gyökeres rattled in 66 goals across 68 appearances for the Portuguese tactician.

Gyökeres’s final home outing under Amorim’s watch saw him plunder a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League. The defending Portuguese champions were unbeaten across all competitions at the time Amorim was poached by United.

After eight months to reflect on his former coach’s decision, Gyökeres admitted that it came as a “shock”. “It’s never happened to me to see a manager leave mid-season when everything was going well,” he told France Football this week. However, there were “no hard feelings”.

“Yes, it was surprising, but I totally understand his decision,” the 27-year-old sagely reflected.

Viktor Gyökeres won the top-flight title in each of his two seasons at Sporting. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

It is widely expected that Gyökeres will also leave Lisbon this summer. There had been numerous rumours about a reunion with Amorim at Old Trafford, but it now appears as though the Swede will line up for rival outfit Arsenal next season—not withstanding one or two more stumbling blocks.

If Gyökeres does end up facing Amorim’s United it will be a battle laced with mutual respect. “We won two championships in a row, for the first time in 71 years. It’s an incredible achievement, and of course, Ruben Amorim played a big role in that,” he gushed.

“I can never thank him enough,” Gyökeres added. “The style of play we had under his command suited me perfectly.”

Amorim’s Sporting operated in a strict back-three, picking their moments to press while always coiled in position ready to spring forward in transition. Arsenal rarely have space to break into when faced with the packed backlines of most Premier League opponents, causing some to question quite how well Gyökeres will adapt to Mikel Arteta’s demands.