Ruben Amorim is expected to improve the players he has at Manchester United, who are determined to implement a more sustainable approach to transfers.
United showered Erik ten Hag with expensive new players, spending more than £600 million on transfers during his two-and-a-half year reign as manager. Amorim is the first head coach to be hired by Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS company and his arrival marks a change in approach.
The 39-year-old was signed from Sporting Lisbon along with his coaching staff as United consider him the brightest young coach in Europe. He performed wonders at Sporting, turning around an unhappy side to win two league titles and two cups.
After United paid around £15 million to get rid of Ten Hag and his staff just months after handing him a new contract, and Sporting paid £9.25 million in compensation to sign Amorim in mid-season to hire, United draws a line under the business. The club has posted a pre-tax loss of £312.9 million over the past three seasons and is under pressure to meet profit and sustainability regulations.
Around £180 million was spent in the summer transfer window to sign Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte. Amorim has been told not to expect any money for the upcoming January transfer window. De Telegraaf reports that he will receive a 'more modest budget' compared to Ten Hag, because the club believes there is untapped potential in the team he has inherited.
Rasmus Hojlund, a £72m signing from Atalanta, and Mason Mount, a £55m signing from Chelsea, are cited as two such examples. Amorim and his staff have been brought in to extract improvements from such players and build around the young core of the squad.
The owners of INEOS, led by sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox, managing director Omar Berrada and INEOS sporting director Dave Brailsford, are also aware of the potential impact of missing out on the Champions League for the second year in a row. could have. United are currently 13th, four points behind the top four, ahead of Amorim's first match against Ipswich on Sunday.
The new leadership team has already overseen a massive cost-cutting exercise, including the redundancy of 250 people in the summer following a strategic review, which they accounted for costing £47.8 million. They have since made headlines for considering halving the amount they donate to their disabled supporters' association.
The uncertain picture means United are highly unlikely to be busy in the January transfer window, despite continued links with Sporting's top players, including Viktor Gyokeres, and Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Instead, Amorim will have to wait until the summer transfer window, when there will be more room to maneuver.
Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are out of contract at the end of the season, while Harry Maguire and Amad Diallo are out of contract but have the option to extend for another year. Meanwhile, Chelsea have an obligation to sign Jadon Sancho if they finish in the top 14 of the Premier League.
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