Ruben Amorim’s ‘grandpa’ coach at Man Utd ‘cannot say two sentences in English’
Ruben Amorim‘s assistant Carlos Fernandes and first-team coach Adelio Candido could easily be mistaken for players on the training pitch.
Sporting’s youthful presence has been brought over to Manchester United by Amorim, 39, a stark contrast to Erik ten Hag’s approach, but this trend doesn’t extend to his entire backroom staff. The team’s veteran is goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital, aged 63, will work closely with Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, and Tom Heaton alongside assistant Craig Mawson.
Amorim first encountered Vital at Braga in 2012, where the latter was the Portuguese club’s goalkeeper coach while Amorim was on loan during his playing days. They reunited at the same club when the highly-rated tactician became Braga’s head coach seven years later.
READ MORE: ‘I played for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd – I got fed up and now I’m a postman’
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim has been given new nickname at Man Utd but fans might not like it
Vital later followed him to Sporting. A former Sporting employee recently told The Athletic that Vital is the “old man of the team.” However, they cautioned fans not to judge a book by its cover, praising the infectious energy he brings to his role, reports the Express.
“He looks like a grandpa, but he exudes this contagious energy out on the pitch. It’s amazing. You want to be exactly like him,” an anonymous ex-Sporting colleague said. However, a stickler among Ten Hag’s previous critiques was his lack of communication, with his English coming up short.
(Image: (Image: Getty))
Don’t miss a thing with football updates!
Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox.
How do you sign up?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply click on this link, then provide your email address and that’s it, job done. You’ll receive an email with all of the top football stories.
You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, right here
The old problem might haunt Vital after it emerged that the seasoned gaffer barely has a grip on the English language. His former Sporting mate chipped in: “I’d be surprised if he could say two sentences in English.”
Reports suggest Vital is set to lean on Mawson during certain training drills. Despite these hurdles, he’s pinned as the “brains” responsible for creating game plans, with a magnetic personality and often regaling with tales from his glory days away from the turf.
Meanwhile, United fans are clock-watching for the kickstart of the Amorim era, with a Premier League jaunt to Portman Road against Ipswich Town looming on Sunday (November 24).
