Mourinho was the first man Amorim called after Man Utd interest, now his first test is against another Jose disciple

WHEN Ruben Amorim and Kieran McKenna person a post-match chat astatine Portman Road connected Sunday, they volition person 1 ‘special’ happening successful common.

Two young managers, inactive successful their 30s, who were schooled successful the creation nether the tutelage of Jose Mourinho.

The man, who himself credits the large Sir Bobby Robson for his ain emergence to the precise top, has ne'er been averse to giving a helping manus to those who privation to travel him up the ladder.

Ask Brendan Rodgers and Andre Villas-Boas, who worked with Mourinho astatine Chelsea, oregon Aitor Karanka, his No.2 astatine Real Madrid.

Sat successful Lisbon a fewer months backmost plotting different triumph to support Sporting connected the roadworthy to a imaginable 3rd Portuguese title, Amorim got a telephone to beryllium told of involvement from Manchester United.

After putting the telephone down, the archetypal idiosyncratic helium contacted for proposal was the antheral helium describes arsenic his ‘reference point’, Mourinho.

Given however the self-proclaimed Special One had go the ‘redundant one’ acknowledgment to United sacking him backmost successful December 2018, successful his 3rd play successful charge, you mightiness person thought helium would pass him off.

Not a spot of it. ‘Go for it’ was the effect from the ex-Red Devils boss, who won the Europa League and League Cup during his spell astatine Old Trafford.

Mourinho knew Amorim, 39, had the quality to assistance the reddish giant, which is not truthful overmuch sleeping close present but waiting to travel retired of a coma.

The present Fenerbahce brag said recently: “He has the conditions to beryllium capable to manager successful immoderate league and helium has the conditions to beryllium capable to manager successful immoderate club.”

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Mourinho soaked up each portion of cognition helium could nether Sir Bobby, archetypal arsenic a translator astatine Sporting, Porto and Barcelona, and aboriginal erstwhile Robson brought him into the coaching set-up astatine the Catalan giants.

When his playing days were down him, Amorim turned his attentions to coaching and was ever a pupil of the game, scrutinising the likes of Antonio Conte and Mourinho.

Six years ago, portion doing a Masters grade successful high-performance shot coaching astatine the University of Lisbon, helium got the accidental of a week-long internship astatine United — wherever Mourinho was boss.

He efficaciously shadowed Mourinho successful the week starring up to the sojourn of Arsenal successful April 2018, which would beryllium Arsene Wenger’s past lucifer astatine Old Trafford arsenic Gunners boss.

In that abbreviated time, Amorim learned each facet of however to beryllium a apical manager, adjacent however to talk successful a property conference, and helium has already been compared to Mourinho successful his media dealings... the ones erstwhile helium turns connected the charm astatine least.

Amorim said: “The interaction helium had connected my vocation was the mode helium treated me, helium showed maine that you tin triumph everything and beryllium a antithetic idiosyncratic than you think.

“He’s precise experienced. In presumption of my acquisition astatine Manchester, it was the lone nine wherever I did an internship.

“He’s a peculiar manager who opened doors for us.”

That archetypal doorway opened for Amorim successful his autochthonal Portugal astatine third-tier Casa Pia, past Braga and connected to Sporting, wherever his occurrence successful lifting 2 titles brought him to United’s attention.

Ipswich brag McKenna, 38, was linked with the United occupation past summertime erstwhile it looked similar Erik 10 Hag was connected his way.

He knows the nine good and learned nether Mourinho erstwhile helium promoted him from the younker set-up astatine the nine to go his adjunct aft long-time wingman Rui Faria near his side.

McKenna’s playing vocation was chopped abbreviated astatine 22 owed to an ongoing hep occupation portion astatine Spurs. But helium remained determination arsenic a manager successful their academy earlier making the power to United.

Mourinho spotted the endowment successful the manager and elevated him to the seat adjacent to him successful May 2018.

McKenna said: “I’ve said earlier it was a privilege for maine to travel connected to his coaching staff, he’s specified an iconic fig for coaches of my generation.

“It was a comparatively abbreviated period, but it was large to enactment and larn from him. You tin spot wherefore he’s been truthful palmy successful his career.”

It was the information Mourinho achieved his occurrence without a large playing CV that made McKenna realise helium could execute his dreams.

McKenna said: “The coaches that came earlier us, Brendan Rodgers, Mourinho, radical of that ilk, went into absorption done antithetic pathways.

“They person laid the groundwork and shown what tin beryllium achieved by coaches from antithetic backgrounds.”

McKenna was often unfairly labelled arsenic a anemic nexus connected the grooming crushed erstwhile things started to spell incorrect nether Mourinho and past Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But helium rapidly debunked that mentation erstwhile Ipswich took a punt connected him and helium achieved successive promotions to get the Suffolk nine backmost successful the apical formation for the archetypal clip since 2002.

McKenna and Amorim look disconnected successful the Mourinho derby connected Sunday.

Afterwards, erstwhile the brace stock a drink, they volition nary uncertainty rise a solid to the antheral who helped them connected their way.

Someone who remains ‘special’ to them both.