It is difficult to figure out exactly how much should be read into Manchester City defeats these days, such as the one inflicted on Pep Guardiola by a reported Leeds United target in late-2024.
In years gone by, beating the perennial Premier League champions was headline news. Even scoring against Guardiola’s seemingly-imperious outfit was worthy of a story in itself.
But in a season when Manchester City have suffered losses against Bournemouth, Brighton, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and even the calamity twins themselves of Man United and Tottenham Hotspur, well, performances which might have been the making of a man like Hidemasa Morita now come with a hearty dose of context.
As Sporting CP tore Man City to shreds in Lisbon during the first phase of this season’s Champions League, an eventual 4-1 scoreline felt like the denouement of the Pep Guardiola era as well as the dawning of Ruben Amorim’s arrival as a coach of truly elite potential.
Whether that potential will go unfulfilled, like so many others who have dared dip their toes into the piranha-infested waters of Manchester United, only time will tell. The manner in which Amorim had former Wolves duo Francisco Trincao and Pedro ‘Pote’ Goncalves, 17-year-old Geovany Quenda and ex-Coventry striker Viktor Gyokeres performing against Guardiola’s 2023 Treble Winners, though, was testament to what can be achieved with a settled structure, intelligent recruitment, and a coach capable of elevating individual players to heights few expected them ever to reach.
Take the aforementioned Morita, for instance.
According to Portuguese publication Record, Leeds are weighing up a bid for Sporting Lisbon’s Japan international.
And if the Leeds United faithful are wondering what they would be getting for their money – Morita has a near-£39 million release clause in his Sporting contract – November’s four-goal destruction of Manchester City offers an indication.
Leeds United eye Sporting Lisbon ace Hidemasa Morita
As the prolific Gyokeres rattled in a hat-trick – the one-time Leeds target has been simply unstoppable in Portugal with 87 goals in 95 games – Morita’s contribution to Amorim’s cause understandably slipped under the radar.
Almost fittingly so.
Morita, like his Japan international teammate Ao Tanaka, is the sort of player who can often go unnoticed by casual observers. Ask the supporters, his coach or those he shares a dressing room with, however, and they will regale you of tales of his importance.
Tanaka looks up to Morita in the Japanese camp, seeing a midfielder three years his senior as benchmark for the levels Leeds’ fan favourite still has to reach.
Tanaka and Morita are, however, two sides of the same coin. Prodigiously hard-working and unselfish, yes, as Japanese footballers tend to be. But also extremely gifted with the ball at their feet.
“The first thing to say about Morita is that all coaches should train a Japanese player to understand what he is like,” Amorim said back in 2022. “He is a player who is always willing to help others, who apologises a thousand times a day, is very respectful, plays in any position and always wants to learn.
“I only have good things to say about Morita. Blessed be the day we chose Morita, for the value he was and the man he is.
“Japanese players are increasingly entering Europe due to their technical quality. It is not often talked about, but Morita has enormous technical quality. He came to play at number six, but he can play at number eight.”
Morata could be reunited with Japan teammate Ao Tanaka at Leeds
A la Tanaka, then. The £3.5 million signing from Fortuna Dusseldorf started out as a deep-lying ball-winner at Leeds. But, having scored four very eye-catching goals since the turn of the year, the feeling now is that Tanaka’s true potential is wasted a little when denied the freedom to drive forwards.
But, as Sporting destroyed Man City with their rapid-fire transitions, Morita’s role in that 4-1 win was largely about doing the simple things but doing them well.
He may lack the monstrous strength of Morten Hjulmand or the defence-splitting guile of Pote, but Morita 91.7 pass completion rate summed up the performance of a footballer composed and intelligent enough to use the ball efficiently and effectively. An integral factor, on a night when Sporting scored four goals despite mustering only 27 per cent of the possession.
Given how Leeds can expect to play in the Premier League next term – promotion permitting, of course – Morita’s ability to keep the ball under pressure against higher-quality opposition could come in very handy alongside Tanaka in an all-Japanese midfield duo.
“He always wanted to play in the Premier League and show that he has this level of football,” Diogo Boa Alma, the sporting director who brought Morita to Santa Clara in 2020, told The Express recently.
“I know he has the quality to make an impact. I have no doubt that he has the skills and the mentality, and also the experience. He is 29 years old and has played more than 40 matches for Japan. He is more than prepared for the Premier League.
“I think, for a mid-table Premier League club, he can be a huge signing for their starting XI right away.”
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