Gary Lineker names “very special” Manchester United star, he can become ‘a beast’ under Rúben Amorim

Gary Lineker has named which Manchester United star he feels has been “very special” under Erik ten Hag as Rúben Amorim takes charge as head coach.

Rúben Amorim will officially start his role as Manchester United’s new head coach this week, having arrived at Carrington on Monday morning. He joins after the club decided to part ways with Erik ten Hag late last month.

The 39-year-old wasted no time making changes, immediately relieving Ruud van Nistelrooy and three other coaching staff members of their duties upon his arrival in Manchester.

Read More: Rúben Amorim’s first Manchester United decision bad for three club stars, say ex-players

In the coming two weeks, Amorim will assess his squad to decide on his first-choice lineup ahead of his managerial debut, which will be an away clash against Ipswich Town in the Premier League.

Amorim has already indicated that he intends to implement his signature 3-4-2-1 formation from the get-go, sparking discussions over which players will fit into his tactical approach.

Lineker’s “very special” player

While Amorim will no doubt bring in his own talented players to the club across the next few seasons, there is a whole host of brilliant young stars at the club already who many are excited to see develop under the new head coach.

Former England striker and Barcelona goalscorer Gary Lineker has been raving about one player in particular, Rasmus Højlund, who he believes performed well in a poor Ten Hag side last campaign.

“He was performing consistently well in the side that wasn’t performing consistently well,” Lineker previously told BritishGQ.

“That’s when you look at players and think that they might have something very special.”

Højlund can become a beast

The 21-year-old Danish striker is one man that many have pinpointed as being one of the potentially biggest beneficiaries of Amorim’s appointment.

The Portuguese coach has made a beast out of his Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres, and there is a school of thought that Højlund, a powerful, fast, and strong striker in his own right, can echo the brilliance of the Swedish international under Amorim.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Højlund said of Amorim’s appointment earlier this month. “Good ideas. I have seen how they play. I have spoken to Morten (Hjulmand, Sporting midfielder) about it, and he is also very satisfied with the coach, so I am really looking forward to him setting foot here.”

He continued: “I am very much looking forward to working with a young and ambitious manager,” he explained.

“I think it is only good. He has an understanding of what the new, modern football is like. I don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing that he is young. On the contrary, it might even give something extra.”

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.