MASKED WINGER
Man Utd wonderkid does Viktor Gyokeres’ ‘secret’ celebration in 6-0 Uefa Youth League thrashing
Read on to see how a gentleman's agreement could see Man Utd land the Sporting striker for a bargain fee
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VIKTOR GYOKERES' Champions League heroics have not gone unnoticed by Manchester United's youth team.
The Sporting Lisbon striker netted a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over the Red Devils' crosstown rivals Man City on Tuesday.
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Gyokeres has taken European football by storm over the past few months with regular displays of ruthless finishing.
The ex-Coventry forward creates a mask over his face after each goal in a much-publicised "secret" celebration.
Man Utd's youngsters took on FK Zalgiris on Wednesday in the Uefa Youth League.
And rising star Ethan Wheatley whipped out Gyokeres' cele as the Red Devils under-19s romped to a 6-0 win.
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There were six different goalscorers on the day, with Wheatley crashing in the third goal just before half-time.
The 18-year-old from Stockport immediately put his hands across his face in tribute to Gyokeres.
Wheatley is regarded as one of United's most promising up-and-coming young stars.
He was recently named Academy Player of the Year and has been a prolific scorer at all youth levels.
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Wheatley's nod to Gyokeres comes after the Lisbon star was linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Sporting boss Ruben Amorim starts his new role as United manager on November 11 after agreeing a multi-year deal.
Who is Sporting's masked man Viktor Gyokeres
Reports suggest Amorim will try to lure his star man to Manchester.
Gyokeres joined Sporting for £16.5m from Coventry City in the summer of 2023.
He has since netted a remarkable 52 goals in 48 games.
We reported yesterday how a gentleman's agreement could see him join Manchester United for a bargain fee.
Ruben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man Utd
WHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.
Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.
But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.
Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.
He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers.
The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.
And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.
Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.
Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.
United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won't be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.
For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for.
On how he celebrates his goals, Gyokeres was recently coy on the origins of his signature celebration, which some believe is a reference to Batman villain Bane.
He told a Swedish newspaper: "There were lots of guesses [on what it means].
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"There was Hannibal Lecter and Batman and everything possible, but nobody got it right.
"No-one came close. Yes, it's a secret. I can clarify that, but not today."
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