Pedro Porro grateful to Ruben Amorim but now wants to disappoint his old boss | OneFootball

Tottenham full-back Pedro Porro admits Manchester United’s “magnificent coach” Ruben Amorim helped his football explode at Sporting Lisbon, but hopes to be the happy one after their reunion in Bilbao.

Porro worked under Amorim for three seasons in Portugal before he earned a move to Spurs at the start of 2023 in a £39.5million deal.

The 25-year-old has since become one of Tottenham’s most reliable performers and scored twice in the Europa League knockout phase to help them set up an all-English final with Amorim’s Manchester United on Wednesday night.

“When I arrived (at Sporting), it was a little bit difficult for me but like everything in football, sometimes it’s hard at first right? Things in life don’t always go the way you want them to but when I got there, the truth is I had a lot of help from him,” Porro explained.

“And at that moment, my football exploded. To be honest I’m really grateful to him for that.

“I worked with him for three years and he’s a magnificent coach. I know him very well. It’s the way he treats the players.

“He always spoke to me as a person, it’s not just how he treated me from a football perspective. The way he works on the pitch is also very good but in this case, I hope I’m the happy one.”

This will be the third time Porro has faced old boss Amorim this season, but the Spanish right-back played down the relevance of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup triumph in December and the narrow victory in the Premier League over Manchester United in February.

Porro added: “Let’s see, every game has a world of its own, right? Playing in a final is very different from playing a league game because it involves a lot of factors.

“Football is a world of its own and I think we are focused on that point. We know every game is different, especially a final where anything can happen.

“I don’t think they’ve lost in the Europa League. They’re a very good team, with a very good coach no?

“In the end they haven’t had the luck in the Premier League, it’s like us isn’t it? But we’re two teams that know how to deliver and it’s going to be a very beautiful final. I hope we’re the happy ones at the end.”

Spurs’ domestic struggles have been well documented and increased scrutiny on Ange Postecoglou, but Porro takes belief from the big European wins in Frankfurt and Bodo.

He also knows how much a first trophy since 2008 would mean to the fans.

“The truth is we have very good feelings. Ignoring the Premier League, we are feeling good, the job the team has done in Europe has been enormous and I think we feel we’re in a good place. Those feelings have to carry over to the day of the final now,” Porro reflected.

“It would be a dream because as we already know when I arrived here, we knew it had been a long time since we had won a trophy here.

“So, it would be very, very important for us and for me personally it would be a story of faith. Something I dreamt of ever since I was little. It’s my first European final and everyone in the world would have motivation for that.”