FOUR Sporting players Liverpool MUST sign before Ruben Amorim's Man Utd

The news that Manchester United are working on a deal for Ruben Amorim to replace Erik ten Hag as their manager came as a bit of a shock yesterday.

The once-Liverpool-linked Amorim’s 3-4-3 system has worked wonders at Sporting CP, seeing them lift the Primeira Liga title last season and hold a 100% domestic record so far this term.

If he were to come to England, the expectation would be that some of his players would join him in January and beyond. This presents an opening for Liverpool to exploit with their promise of Champions League football and immediate title contention.

As a result, here are four Sporting players Liverpool should target.

Viktor Gyokeres

Starting with the obvious one. Viktor Gyokeres is one of the best strikers in the world right now. He has 14 goals in 13 games already this season, including two in three in the Champions League, and is linked to practically every top club - Liverpool included.

He’s a complete striker. 6-foot-2, technically marvellous, able to run the channels and hold the ball up, spring players in behind and finish with aplomb. He also has experience in England already, spending nearly three years at Coventry City, helping them reach the Championship play-off final in 2023.

He would present a completely different option to anything Liverpool have had in nearly a decade.

Goncalo Inacio

Another player that Liverpool have already been linked with, Goncalo Inacio could be the Virgil van Dijk replacement of Liverpool’s dreams.

6-foot-1, left-footed, playing on the left side of the back three, Inacio is central to everything Sporting do in their build-up. He is in the 99th percentile for progressive passes and the 93rd for progressive carries per 90 in the world over the past year, more than even Van Dijk himself. He is assured on the ball and would slot seamlessly into what Arne Slot wants from his central defenders.

He also performs well in his primary defensive role, with consistent, aggressive tackling. The one downside is that he isn’t a significant presence in the air, something that Van Dijk has been dominant at for years. This, however, could be downplayed with Ibrahima Konate by his side.

Ousmane Diomande

Diomande represents the other heart of the Sporting’s defensive line. He primarily plays in the centre or right of the back three and has, of course, been linked to Liverpool in the past.

Whilst Konate has solidified the right centre-back position as his own, Diomande’s talent level requires his name at least being mentioned here.

With Inacio by his side, Diomande is able to focus more heavily on the defensive aspect of the game. His build-up play is practically non-existent in comparison, yet he still averages a similar amount of shot-creating actions per 90 as Van Dijk.

Importantly, his tackle rate is higher than both Inacio and Van Dijk’s, and he wins almost one tackle more per 90 than Liverpool’s captain. He also is winning 66.7% of his aerial duels this season, much closer to Van Dijk’s 72% than teammate Inacio.

At just 20 years old, Diomande would represent a significant long-term investment that head coach Arne Slot could develop in a similar manner to Konate.

Morten Hjulmand

Hjulmand represents a unique character in modern football. Playing as the heart of Sporting’s midfield in a 3-4-3 system, he is required to be an almost traditional box-to-box number eight.

He rarely carries the ball, choosing instead to let the ball do the work (5.54 progressive passes per 90 to 0.18 carries). Yet, his 3.93 shot-creating actions per 90 this season are higher than Alexis Mac Allister’s whilst he averages more tackles a game than Ryan Gravenberch. He also averages over double the number of interceptions per 90 than Mac Allister.

Part of this is systemic. His role is both to disrupt opposing attacks whilst springing Gyokeres and co. into goalscoring opportunities. He does this from a deeper position on the pitch, primarily just before the halfway line.

So whilst he doesn’t fit the mould of any of the specific roles in Arne Slot’s system, his skillset means he could both play Mac Allister’s role on the inside-left whilst being the much-needed cover for Gravenberch should a backup be required.