City-bound Viana sees old friend become his new foe

As his current and future employers meet, Sporting's director will be glad Amorim will take the limelight tonight

- Will Unwin

In Portugal they speak of Hugo Viana working "in the shadows", a man eager to perform his duties away from the spotlight. He will be especially pleased that his good friend Rúben Amorim will take the headlines when Viana's current and future employers meet in the Champions League tonight.

Over the past six years he has built his reputation as one of Europe's best young sporting directors by helping to make his first club, Sporting, a force once more.

Sporting had not won the league title for 16 seasons when Viana arrived with only six months' experience at Belenenses. Under Viana's direction, Sporting have bested both Porto and Benfica twice to finish top - his first title coming in his third season at the club.

The former Newcastle midfielder cannot claim all the credit for the turnaround but it was his decision to appoint his former teammate Amorim, paying €10m for a head coach who had started the season managing Braga B in the third tier.

The duo's success means they will be rivals in Manchester; Viana will soon be tasked with keeping the City train running and Amorim with trying to turn the United ship around after years of drift. Working collaboratively is one of the key factors in the two men growing their reputations and whether they can slot into two very different environments and maintain their progress will be fascinating to see and may even test their bond.