Luís Manuel Ferreira de Castro has no professional playing career on record. He moved into coaching in his early twenties, taking charge of youth sides at Vizela from 2002 and later working at Moreirense, Al-Nassr and Vitória de Guimarães, with a short senior spell at the Greek club Panetolikos in 2019.

He joined Benfica in November 2019 as under-23 manager and later took the under-19s, reaching two UEFA Youth League finals and winning the competition in 2021/22 - a first for the club - before adding the Under-20 Intercontinental Cup. On 2 June 2022 he was promoted to head coach of Benfica B, appointed specifically for the team's return to Liga Portugal 2 after a season in which Benfica had entered an under-23 side instead.

The comeback campaign was hard. Benfica B finished 15th of 18 on 38 points from 34 matches, won 10, drawn 8, lost 16, 52 goals for and 58 against, losing 7-4 at the champions Moreirense and 3-1 at Porto B on the closing day. The development return was the stronger side of it: João Neves made eleven league appearances before his first-team debut on 1 January 2023, and the club credited Castro with the progress of António Silva and Morato. He left by mutual agreement on 8 June 2023 and went on to Dunkerque, Nantes and Levante.