On Monday, Amorim wasted no time making an impact in his first training session at Carrington, overseeing his first-team training for the first time on Monday after receiving his work permit last week and, with a number of his first-team players away on international duty, the Portuguese used the opportunity to take a look at younger talents.
One young star who joined the first-team group was 16-year-old left-footed defender Godwill Kukonki, who, according to Manchester Evening News, was joining the first-team training despite being a regular starter at centre-back for the Under-18s. Despite his age, Kukoni towers over his team-mates at 6ft 5ins tall and has been tipped for a very bright future.
The sight of midfielder Kobbie Mainoo would also probably have warmed the heart of Amorim. Mainoo has not played since October 8, when he picked up a muscle injury against Aston Villa.
An initial prognosis predicted Mainoo had been expected to be out of action for “a few weeks” and now and is now back in training after five weeks. It remains to be seen if Mainoo will prove his fitness before Amorim’s first game in charge, which is this coming Sunday away at Ipswich. The lad has been predicted for a big role under Amorim, who regularly relied on academy graduates during his trophy-laded time with Sporting Lisbon.
As such, United are reportedly set to accelerate contract negotiations with Mainoo, who still have two and a half years to run on his current terms.