Sporting manager Rúben Amorim has hailed his side’s decision to sign Pedro Porro on loan from Manchester City for two-years.
Porro originally joined Manchester City in a £10.8m deal from Girona in 2019 but was immediately sent out on loan to Real Valladolid that year.
He returned to City last summer but was shipped back out on loan, this time to Sporting Lisbon, who agreed a two-year loan deal and an option to make the move a permanent one.
That is something they are keen to do, with Porro having established himself as a key player for the club this season with a series of impressive performances to boot.
Numerous reports from Portugal have indicated they are planning to activate the €8.5m purchase clause in his loan from Manchester City before the end of the season, with that very much presented as an inevitability at this point.
Time will tell on that front, but one man who is certainly pleased with the deal is Amorim, who hailed the player following his call up to the Spain squad earlier this week.
“When he arrived, he was very lacking in confidence. I didn’t know him,” he told A Bola.
“The choice is always ours (coaching staff), but the scouting department did an excellent job, credit to them.
“Then Hugo Viana made a two-year contract, and today we realise it was a very smart move. We gave him confidence, and the system helps Porro.
“He’s much better defensively. From the videos we saw of him, we knew he was a perfect player for these characteristics.
“Now he has to work hard; he’s going to a completely different world which is the Spanish A team. He has to enjoy the moment, but there’s still a game.
“But he’s a spectacular kid; he deserves all the luck in the world. He should keep this up, not for months, but for years. I think he’ll be ready for it.”
