Ruben Amorim has only been at AC Milan for a couple of weeks, but he’s already thinking about who he wants to bring in from his old team. And it sounds like he’s got a particular soft spot for one of the defenders he worked with at Manchester United.
Italian journalist Antonio Vitiello reports that Amorim is ‘crazy’ about two defenders specifically: Lisandro Martinez and Goncalo Inacio. And according to the report, contact has already been made to see if either one could be pried away from their current club.
Martinez is the name that jumps out here. He only played 24 times under Amorim at United thanks to a string of injuries, but apparently that was enough to leave an impression. The boss clearly sees something in him that he wants to replicate in Serie A.
Then there’s Inacio, who is practically Amorim’s guy. The Portuguese defender made 186 appearances under him at Sporting CP, which is the third-most of any player Amorim has ever managed. So it’s not surprising that he’d want to bring him along for the ride in Milan.
Whether United would actually let Martinez go is another question. The club has not indicated any interest in selling the Argentine, especially not right now when midfield moves are the priority. Losing him would mean having to go find another defender, which is extra work they probably don’t want right now.
As for the Mason Mount rumors that popped up earlier this month? Yeah, those are dead. Chris Wheeler, who covers United closely, says the club has zero plans to sell Mount this summer. Reports out of Italy suggested Milan might bid around $27 million for him, but United says there have been no discussions and Mount himself has no interest in leaving.
Mount has actually been in Spain working with a personal trainer on an individual fitness program, getting ready for preseason. That doesn’t sound like a guy who’s planning to pack his bags.
Amorim’s Milan tenure started with a bang — they broke the bank for striker Goncalo Ramos in what’s being called a record signing for the club. So the ambition is there. Now it’s just a matter of whether he can convince someone at United to part with a player he actually wants.
Likely not Martinez though. At least not this summer.
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