32 touches, 2 goals – Manchester United scout in attendance as possible target stars in 4-0 win

Manchester United had a scout in attendance as Porto defeated Boavista in a thrilling 4-0 win on Saturday evening during a Liga Portugal tie.

Manchester United’s approach to the transfer market is set for a major shift under Rúben Amorim, who will be working with a considerably tighter budget than Erik ten Hag enjoyed.

During Ten Hag’s tenure, United spent over £600 million across five transfer windows, though the return on investment has been widely criticised as underwhelming.

Amorim has identified clear priorities for the squad, including a striker, a centre-back, a left-back, and possibly further midfield reinforcements.

To fund these signings, the club are expected to sell several high-value assets, signaling a more measured approach to squad building.

United scouts attend Porto’s brilliant 4-0 win

FC Porto are flying in Portugal, sitting top of Liga Portugal table on 40 points after 16 games following their 4-0 win over 17th-placed Boavista on Saturday evening.

The title race in the country remains tight, with Porto, Benfica, and Sporting CP all vying for the crown, and according to the Portuguese outlet O Jogo via Sport Witness, United had a scout in attendance for the game.

Although it is not specified precisely who the scout was looking at, if they were looking at a specific player at all, United have been previously linked with 20-year-old Porto striker Samuel Aghehowa, who was the star man of the tie.

Aghehowa scored twice in the win at the Estádio Do Dragão, playing 90 minutes and having 32 touches and five shots overall, earning a 9.2/10 rating on FotMob’s scoring algorithm.

United have already seen him perform first hand

As well as the fixture the scout saw on Saturday evening, United have seen Aghehowa’s power first-hand during their Europa League tie earlier this month.

Aghehowa, former named Omorodion, scored twice in the fixture, either side of half time as he dragged his team from a 2-1 deficit to a 3-2 lead on the night.

Although Harry Maguire’s header saw Erik ten Hag’s men leave Portugal with a point, the 20-year-old was fantastic against United’s defence despite his lack of experience against high-level defenders such as Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez.

United may be in need of a striker next summer depending on the future of Joshua Zirkzee, who is rumoured to be a target of both Juventus and Napoli.

While the club have been most routinely linked to Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyökeres in the last few months, Aghehowa may prove a more cost-effective option that fits into the side’s budget.

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.