From Portugal: Manchester United can take one key Sporting player – ‘Heart of team’ under Amorim

Manchester United are one of the clubs keen on Sporting star Morten Hjulmand.

That’s according to Record journalist Ricardo Granada, and he revealed this during a chat with Tipsbladet.

The Portuguese club invested around €18m to buy the midfielder from US Lecce in August 2023. He’s excelled for the Lions since then, so much so that manager Rúben Amorim has handed him the captain’s armband this season.

Hjulmand’s fine displays for Sporting have seen him attract interest from other clubs and Manchester United are included in this list. The journalist explains why he’s surprised with the Denmark international’s development at the club.

“He’s a player who has surprised Sporting fans. Of course, he was the captain of Lecce, but he was a player that not many people in Portugal knew,” he said.

“Hjulmand was second choice for Sporting. He has really surprised positively because he’s a very different defensive midfielder to what you normally see in Portugal. He’s very aggressive in duels. He talks a lot when he uses his leadership.”

The 25-year-old has a contract at Sporting lasting until 2028. The journalist insists he won’t be in Lisbon for a long time. In fact, he’s backed the player to join Manchester United or Barcelona as these two clubs have shown interest.

“I think they paid €18m for him and he has already doubled his value. There’s already interest from Manchester United and Barcelona. That’s probably a path for him in the future,” Granada explained.

“He can do one or two years at Sporting and then maybe he’ll move on. He’s one of the greatest Sporting players and he’s the heart of the team.”

Manchester United have sacked Erik ten Hag and are working on replacing the Dutchman with Amorim.

Sporting have confirmed the Red Devils’ interest and the Portuguese’s arrival in England could help them get ahead of Barca or another club to sign Hjulmand.