Mourinho was first man Amorim called about Man Utd, now he faces Jose disciple

WHEN Ruben Amorim and Kieran McKenna have a post-match chat at Portman Road on Sunday, they will have one ‘special’ thing in common.

Two young managers, still in their 30s, who were schooled in the art under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho.

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The man, who himself credits the great Sir Bobby Robson for his own rise to the very top, has never been averse to giving a helping hand to those who want to follow him up the ladder.

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

Sat in Lisbon a few months back plotting another victory to keep Sporting on the road to a potential third Portuguese title, Amorim got a call to be told of interest from Manchester United.

After putting the phone down, the first person he contacted for advice was the man he describes as his ‘reference point’, Mourinho.

Given how the self-proclaimed Special One had become the ‘redundant one’ thanks to United sacking him back in December 2018, in his third season in charge, you might have thought he would warn him off.

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

Mourinho knew Amorim, 39, had the ability to lift the red giant, which is not so much sleeping right now but waiting to come out of a coma.

The now Fenerbahce boss said recently: “He has the conditions to be able to coach in any league and he has the conditions to be able to coach in any club.”

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Mourinho soaked up every piece of knowledge he could under Sir Bobby, first as a translator at Sporting, Porto and Barcelona, and later when Robson brought him into the coaching set-up at the Catalan giants.

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

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Six years ago, while doing a Masters degree in high-performance football coaching at the University of Lisbon, he got the chance of a week-long internship at United — where Mourinho was boss.

He effectively shadowed Mourinho in the week leading up to the visit of Arsenal in April 2018, which would be Arsene Wenger’s last match at Old Trafford as Gunners boss.

In that short time, Amorim learned every facet of how to be a top manager, even how to speak in a press conference, and he has already been compared to Mourinho in his media dealings… the ones when he turns on the charm at least.

Amorim said: “The impact he had on my career was the way he treated me, he showed me that you can win everything and be a different person than you think.

“He’s very experienced. In terms of my experience at Manchester, it was the only club where I did an internship.

“He’s a special coach who opened doors for us.”

That first door opened for Amorim in his native Portugal at third-tier Casa Pia, then Braga and on to Sporting, where his success in lifting two titles brought him to United’s attention.

Ipswich boss McKenna, 38, was linked with the United job last summer when it looked like Erik ten Hag was on his way.

He knows the club well and learned under Mourinho when he promoted him from the youth set-up at the club to become his assistant after long-time wingman Rui Faria left his side.

McKenna’s playing career was cut short at 22 due to an ongoing hip problem while at Spurs. But he remained there as a coach in their academy before making the switch to United.

Mourinho spotted the talent in the coach and elevated him to the bench next to him in May 2018.

McKenna said: “I’ve said before it was a privilege for me to come on to his coaching staff, he’s such an iconic figure for coaches of my generation.

“It was a relatively short period, but it was great to work and learn from him. You can see why he’s been so successful in his career.”

It was the fact Mourinho achieved his success without a great playing CV that made McKenna realise he could achieve his dreams.

McKenna said: “The coaches that came before us, Brendan Rodgers, Mourinho, people of that ilk, went into management through different pathways.

“They have laid the groundwork and shown what can be achieved by coaches from different backgrounds.”

McKenna was often unfairly labelled as a weak link on the training ground when things started to go wrong under Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But he quickly debunked that theory when Ipswich took a punt on him and he achieved successive promotions to get the Suffolk club back in the top flight for the first time since 2002.

McKenna and Amorim face off in the Mourinho derby on Sunday.

Afterwards, when the pair share a drink, they will no doubt raise a glass to the man who helped them on their way.

Someone who remains ‘special’ to them both.