Cristiano Ronaldo gave an insight into his first interaction with Manchester United transfer target Geovany Quenda whilst on international duty with Portugal.
United are said to be exploring a deal to sign the highly-rated Quenda, who worked under Ruben Amorim during the final months of his four-year reign as Sporting manager.
In fact, Portuguese outlet A BOLA claim the Premier League side have already agreed to sign the 17-year-old winger, with a deal thought to be worth in the region of €60 million [£50.2m].
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A report from The Athletic, meanwhile, suggests a move is more likely to happen this summer and no negotiations have taken place so far, just so-called 'conversations'.
Quenda, who was handed his first-team debut by Amorim in August 2024, went on to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo and Simao by becoming Sporting's youngest ever scorer in the Portuguese top-flight.
The teenager also joined Ronaldo on international duty in September last year, when he was called up for Portugal's Nations League fixtures against Scotland and Croatia.
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Here, Ronaldo spoke about his first meeting with Quenda, who was apparently "embarrassed" as he stood next to the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward.
“Many of them are embarrassed to talk to me," Ronaldo told reporters.
"A little while ago I was going up to my room and I saw the new boy, 17 years old, Quenda. I went to him and said: 'So, have you recovered from the game?'. I saw that he was embarrassed.
"I don't say I'm a father, but an older brother. It could be a father to some and, as I said before, I've been through the same thing as them and the national team is a family. We're focusing on the Nations League, which is a fun competition and one that Portugal wants to win.”
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In that same international break, Portugal's Bernardo Silva admitted Quenda could take his place in the national side.
"As for Quenda, he will probably take my place," he said at a press conference. "But he is part of the national team, certain players leave, new people come in and generations change.
"It is impressive to see the level Quenda is at at this age.
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"I didn't play for Benfica's youth team. It wasn't for the juniors, it was for the youth team. I didn't play for Benfica's youth team. Seeing him at 17 years old representing Sporting and the national team, it is because he deserves it and has the skills to be here.
"If he continues, he will certainly reach greater heights than he is at now."
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Sporting CP, Transfers, Ruben Amorim
Jack Kenmare