Sport

Viana is looking to prove himself with his Premier League return.

Hugo Viana is known to fans of English football and in particular, Newcastle United, as little more than a distant memory of a career never quite fulfilled in England. But he will return to the Premier League as a powerhouse, as the new sporting director at Manchester City, replacing the outgoing Txiki Begiristain.

Replacing such a figure – the man who effectively built the modern City after arriving in 2012, laying the groundwork to bring his friend and former teammate Pep Guardiola to the club four years later – is a herculean task. Begiristain’s exit hastens the talk of an exit for Guardiola after nine years; though the man himself had been quick to state that he is not ready to announce his departure from the Etihad Stadium yet. Whatever happens though, losing such a key figure in the boardroom signals the end of an era; City have only ever been in a dominant position, give or take a couple of difficult seasons, since his arrival. He will be one hell of an act to follow.

Enter Viana. A smart, quiet, thoughtful man, who will be ready to prove his difficult time as a player at St James’ Park will not be a precursor to leading the best team in the world into their next phase. It was too much too soon for him on Tyneside; he admits as much himself. A precociously talented teenager, he chose Newcastle when leaving Sporting – the same club he will depart for City – because of his new manager Sir Bobby Robson. He felt a connection, given Robson’s prior success in Lisbon in the 1990s.

Even though he struggled to establish himself in his preferred position of central midfield at Newcastle, that love and affection prevailed.

“Mr Robson said he knew me; he’d watched some games at Sporting and in the Under-21 European Championships, Viana told this writer back in 2018.

“He also worked at Sporting and is a legend in Portugal, so I felt more close to him and he told me he would give me time to adapt to life in England without worrying.

“In the end, I joined Newcastle without visiting the place first, but it is an amazing city and the fans are very passionate about football; they live for it and the atmosphere was great.

“The players saw Bobby as a father, he was very close with everyone and he always wanted the best for them,” Viana says.

“He would speak with me all the time, asking about my family, about my adaptation to life in England. He was very special to me.”

Viana is not one for looking back. He has earned this chance at City doing what he is doing as a director. From Newcastle, he struggled to reach the heights he once promised, despite playing 29 games for Portugal. But he has delivered on his reputation as a great club strategist, continuing to grow and improve the environment he once emerged from at Sporting, nurturing and helping develop and profit from a number of top players.

Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes, Pedro Porro and Manuel Ugarte have all left for big money, players like Goncalo Inacio, Ousmane Diomande, Morten Hjulmand, Geovany Quenda and Viktor Gyokeres have arrived to take their places and make names for themselves.

Sustainability is key to Sporting, but less so for City. Viana will face different expectational challenges, with or without having to think about a Guardiola replacement. If that is required, Ruben Amorim, the Sporting coach, is already being heavily linked.

This is a big job for Viana, who is still only 41. Once again he is viewed as a rising star, only this time in the boardroom; he is also replacing someone who could be considered the best there is in Begiristain, which is often not discussed because Guardiola takes the headlines.

Viana will hope to deliver on his promise, and he definitely has the temperament and personality to do that. Manchester City have made an excellent choice.