Incoming Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim might not be settling down to watch the Reds against Leicester on Sunday given his commitments later in the evening with Sporting Lisbon, but he will be catching up with a keen eye on proceedings.
And one of his former charges will hope to have a say in that upcoming contest at Old Trafford. While United will be favourites, particularly after thumping the Foxes in the Carabao Cup just 10 days ago, Leicester have shown they can be competitive despite their lowly league position following promotion from the Championship.
The visitors are likely to hand a start to Abdul Fatawu with the winger a key man for Leicester. And the Ghana international is well known to Amorim having played under him in Portugal.
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The wideman was highly rated when he joined Sporting CP from Steadfast in his homeland – and his arrival saw a €60million release clause inserted into his contract.
He arrived in Lisbon in 2022, two years after Amorim and with success already starting to come with a 19-year title drought having ended the year before. But despite touching down with a burgeoning reputation and international experience, Fatawu struggled to break into the Sporting XI and made just one start for the club.
He tallied up eight appearances in total, but was allowed out on loan to then-Championship side Leicester in 2023 with a £14.6million obligation to move permanently at the end of the season.
Since joining the Foxes, he has helped them return to the top-flight and has made seven appearances for the club so far this season. And while he didn’t get much of a look in under Amorim, his former manager did speak fondly of Fatawu despite deeming him surplus to requirements.
“He is a player with a lot of talent, but sometimes team dynamics and coaches can’t bring out the best in players,” said Amorim previously. “Sometimes they change teams and become the players we believed they could be. That’s why we went for him and made an investment in him.
“We’re going to make money from it. Our project ends there.
“Players who don’t adapt so much here but, with talent, will move to other places and give us added value. And these gains, little by little, can help us keep the best players. I am very happy for Fatawu, he has always behaved very well here.”
As for Fatawu, having regular game-time and the trust of his team-mates means he is keen to make a lasting impression at Leicester.
“If they (his teammates) have this kind of belief in me it gives me more confidence to work hard and to not disappoint them,” he said last season.
He added: “I feel so much motivation to be in the Premier League. It’s something new to me. I’m going to go hard for that, with the team.”
