Ruben Amorim's first Man Utd transfer target 'is a better player than Erling Haaland'

With Ruben Amorim days away from taking over the reins at Old Trafford, his sights will likely turn to improving a squad that sits 13th in the Premier League

Viktor Gyokeres, who is heavily linked with a move to Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United, has been touted as a better striker than Erling Haaland.

Amorim will officially leave Sporting CP, where he made history by capturing two league titles, on November 11, having been swiftly courted and snapped up as the man to replace the departed Erik ten Hag in Manchester.

The 39-year-old will bring with him a fresh approach to the game, with his three-at-the-back system sure to shake things up tactically, but could also look to persuade some of those who have been so pivotal to his success in the Portuguese capital to come along too.

The most notable of those patrons, Swedish ace Gyokeres, has emerged from starring for Coventry City in the Championship to one of Europe’s most in-demand and in-from strikers - and some even believe he is better than Manchester City’s goal-obsessed Haaland.

"It sounds crazy, but I think he is a slightly better version of Haaland,” admitted former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, speaking to Ziggo Sport before Sporting’s Champions League clash with Haaland’s City. “Haaland is incredible, of course, but Gyokeres has a bit more."

His compatriot Marco van Basten, once a deadly marksman in his own right, agreed with praising Gyokeres, adding: “He [Gyokeres] is a true footballer. A real striker. He is strong, scores easily and is calm in front of goal. He can also dribble past the goalkeeper. He is a very good striker."

The 26-year-old has been flying this term, scoring 23 goals in all competitions - 16 of those in the league and five in Europe. Haaland, on the other hand, sees his tally dwarfed, as he’s mustered a still impressive 14 so far, 11 of those coming in the Premier League. Last campaign saw a similar story unfold, as Gyokeres’ 43 goals beat out his Norwegian counterpart’s 38.

While it must be said that Haaland faces tougher challenges week by week in the English top flight, Gyokeres continues to perform on the European stage and is, without a doubt, a fine goal-scoring threat.

Now, the chances of Gyokeres jumping ship to reunite with Amorim have been played down by the player's former boss, who commented on the back of his final home game for Sporting against the Cityzens: “Viktor has to stay until the end of the season, and then his life will probably go somewhere else.”

However, though it is likely the Swede will remain with Sporting until the summer when a club could snap him up for £63million if a gentleman's agreement is to be believed, Gyokeres himself has expressed his admiration for Amorim, hinting that a reunion would be welcomed.

"We will miss him [Amorim] a lot,” Gyokeres told UEFA post-City clash. “We've done amazing things together. We will miss him and the other guys in the staff who will leave. We have to look forward and attack the next challenge ahead of us."

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