Various reports are linking Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson with a return to Benfica, home of American teenage sensation Freddy Adu. A statement from the Portuguese club confirmed that talks had taken place. Eriksson, who has been told by Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra that his job will be terminated at the end of the season, said: “I’m considering the [Benfica] offer and it could be a step forward in my career — let’s see what happens.” The Swede met with Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira and future sporting director Rui Costa in Manchester on Wednesday, according to BBC News, which added that Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was being lined up as Eriksson’s replacement at City.
Eriksson has coached Benfica twice, leading the club to two championships and a domestic cup in the early 1980s. He then returned in 1989, taking the club to the 1990 European Cup final and the 1991 Portuguese title. Benfica currently risks missing out on a Champions League spot after a poor season that has seen them fall to fourth in the SuperLiga standings, three points behind rival Sporting Lisbon.
Adu could benefit from Eriksson’s appointment. Adu has seen his playing time limited in recent months, but Eriksson has shown faith in youth before: in 2006, as England coach, Eriksson took untested youngster Theo Walcott to the World Cup.