Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim's phone call from shocked star after brutal U-turn

View 2 Images

Ruben Amorim left one of his former players stunned after a shocking change of heart. The Manchester United boss has already experienced his fair share of clashes at Old Trafford, with high-profile disputes involving the likes of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho .

For the 40-year-old, falling out with wingers seems almost habitual. Brazilian prospect Arthur Gomes was left shocked after Amorim appeared to guarantee him a starting role - only to retract that promise weeks later while they were still at Sporting .

Amorim had brought Gomes to Sporting in 2022, impressed by his brilliant displays for Primeira Liga side Estoril. At the end of the 2022/23 season, Amorim personally phoned Gomes to assure him he was "counting on him" for the upcoming campaign.

However, when Gomes returned from holiday just a fortnight later, the situation had completely changed. "I received a call from the club director, who informed me that Ruben Amorim had changed his mind and was going to change the team's tactics," Gomes recounted on ESPN's Futebol no Mundo podcast.

"He told me that I was a player who needed to play and he didn't see me making a spot in the first team or on the bench. At the time I was shocked. Two weeks earlier he had said one thing and now I'm not going to be used much?"

Frustrated and confused, Gomes rang Amorim, only to hear the manager confirm the same news from the club director. "I said that I wasn't going to try to change his mind," Gomes explained. "I thanked him for the time I spent with him and I was going to see what I could do [in terms of leaving]."

A month later, Gomes was sold to Cruzeiro. Now 27, he plays for Dynamo Moscow , determined to show he can excel at a leading European team.

Gomes' story sheds light on Amorim's style of managing players. Initially, the Portuguese coach "showered" him with praise, boosting his confidence and work ethic. Yet his tactical reversal felt like such a betrayal that it left Gomes no choice but to move on.

View 2 Images

"My debut [for Estoril] was against Sporting. Ruben Amorim said he wanted me there [at Sporting]. He stated that, since my first game in Portugal, he had never taken his eyes off me," he remembered.

"When I arrived, on the first day, Ruben called me into his office and said: 'I'm going to push you every day, demand a lot from you, you're my bet'. He showered me with praise and gave me a lot of confidence."

One of the standout moments of Gomes' spell at Sporting was his Champions League debut, where he came off the bench to score a remarkable goal against Tottenham . "I was ecstatic, very happy to just be on the bench in the Champions League," he said.

"Amorim called me, I went, and almost nobody noticed I was going to enter because of the euphoria in the stadium. Not even my wife, who was in the stands," he recalled. Regarding the goal itself, he added: "It was incredible."

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.