If it wasn’t clear when he arrived on our shores, it is abundantly so now. Ruben Amorim is going to have to overhaul an expensively assembled but substandard playing squad in order to revive Manchester United.
A United manager should never be faced with the prospect of relegation, but that is the cold reality engulfing Old Trafford this winter. Up next it is Liverpool, followed by Arsenal – somehow it could get even worse.
Amorim himself was reluctant to take the job mid-season for fear of not being able to stamp his authority on the squad amid the usual English fixture congestion.
He had no intention of using the January transfer window to begin his revamp of the playing personal. Now he almost has no choice.
The conditions are certainly stacked against him, but that does not mean he or the club’s new overlords are ruling out much transfer activity.
How much is there to spend?
With Erik ten Hag having spent, and largely wasted, another £200m in the summer, funds are limited, given the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) regulators are looking on with interest.
Any moves for several top targets could nonetheless take place in the coming weeks if United can shift any of a whole host of unwanted big earners.
In the eyes of PSR, allowing the likes of Casemiro, on north of £300,000-a-week, to leave, even on loan with his wages covered, will substantially increase United’s currently precarious position, freeing up funds for any incomings.
There are ways to be creative, as Chelsea have done with their “amortisation” approach to the transfer market, spreading the costs of arrivals over the duration of their lengthy contracts.
Several “credit facilities” are available to the club too, should they need them, but that will only further entice PSR scrutiny. Desperate times, however, call for desperate measures.
Who do they want to bring in?
The i Paper has been told that, despite the perilous financial situation United find themselves in, conversation are ongoing between the club and representatives of transfer targets so that if funds do become available, they can move quickly to get any deal done.
At the very least, a wing-back and a striker are top of Amorim’s wish list. As reported this week, fellow countryman Nuno Mendes from Paris Saint-Germain is top pick to fill the problematic left wing-back role, with the player understood to be keen to make the move.
Another who would link up with Amorim for the second time is teenager Geovany Quenda. The right wing-back is seen by the new boss as perfect for his 3-4-3 system, and an upgrade on the current options. He would represent a cheaper option to Mendes, but Sporting Lisbon are understood to be reluctant to sell mid-season.
For the striker role, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been looked at, as has PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani – who is available on loan with an obligation to buy.
Viktor Gyokeres, however, is the one Amorim really wants. The Swedish goal machine is understood to be very keen on the move, with Sporting said to be willing to allow him to leave for around £60m, but only in the summer.
That fee would likely have to rise to his release clause – £80m – for the 26-year-old to head to Old Trafford this month. Unlikely, given their financial position.
Who will leave?
Almost everyone, other than a handful of players, is for sale, at the right price. There are some, however, United are desperate to be rid of.
Marcus Rashford is the obvious candidate to spearhead any fundraising, given he is the club’s second highest earner and has publicly said he wants a new challenge.
However, it is understood that interest in taking him off United’s hands has not been forthcoming as yet. The club, however, would reportedly sanction on loan move away from Old Trafford, if some of his substantial wages were covered. His earnings alone top £16m per year.
Recouping even half that, along with a loan fee, would go a long way to starting any squad rebuild. The same goes for other higher earners – Casemiro and Antony. While all three may not attract a cash buyer, loaning them out to subsidise their salaries would aid United’s PSR cause.
Otherwise, any offers for the likes of Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen and Joshua Zirkzee, the latter attracting interest from Serie A in order to save him from his Old Trafford nightmare, will be entertained.
Even first-team regulars are seen as sellable. Diogo Dalot is on Real Madrid’s radar should their pursuit of Trent Alexander-Arnold fail to bear fruit, Alejandro Garnacho has several admirers monitoring his situation, while Harry Maguire, who is out of contract in the summer and faces an uncertain future, is one of few who can hold their heads high this term and say their form has not dramatically declined.
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