Ruben Amorim is, for now, keeping his head above water.
Manchester United are as frustrating to watch as ever with another huge task lying ahead for their new 39-year-old head coach. Bodies must be shipped out for fresh new ones to be brought in, but you just get the impression Amorim will be handed little margin for error.
With January opening up some avenues to explore in terms of incomings and outgoings, we here at FourFourTwo have predicted a dream transfer window for INEOS and what that could mean moving forward.
What is Manchester United’s top transfer priority?
Manchester United are absolutely crying out for a left-sided player who can correctly play in Amorim’s adaptive 3-4-3 system. Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia continue to be plagued with injury issues and Diogo Dalot simply does not offer enough going forward.
It seems strange to us that the Red Devils have a relatively small buy-back clause on Alvaro Fernandez and we believe he would be perfectly suited to play in this Manchester United side.
At just £16.7m, according to reports, Fernandez has grown into an excellent left-wing back and is enjoying a fruitful spell for Benfica at present. The 21-year-old has time on his hands and impressed for United’s academy during his teenage years.
He has played 26 times for the Portuguese giants this season and even has UEFA Champions League experience under his belt already. Benfica tend to set up in a 4-2-3-1 system but his speed and tenacity often see him overlap on the left flank.
What do Manchester United do with Mason Mount?
Mason Mount’s frustrations must be at boiling point given the former Chelsea man cannot stay fit. The Manchester United number seven is again sidelined with a thigh problem and his presence in midfield is being missed.
At 25, Mount has the correct experience around him to be really beneficial in this team and Amorim must do all he can to get the midfielder back onto the pitch as soon as possible. His pressing stats are off the charts and Amorim himself is a huge fan of the Portsmouth-born star.
“Mason Mount… I have to tell you I love that kid,” enthused Amorim in 2023. “You can look in his eyes that he wants this so bad. And this is the most important thing for me. I know he was suffering from injuries, he was not on the pitch, but now he’s trying to stay fit and we hope he can continue to be fit, to show all the talent that he’s shown, for example, in Chelsea.”
Resolve the Marcus Rashford saga once and for all
Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester United looks as bleak as it has ever been. The 27-year-old has quite clearly fallen out with head coach Amorim and there seems to be no way back for the England international.
The key facet to this story is that Rashford earns a lot of money and United need that back pronto. PSR continues to breathe down INEOS’ neck and cutting off Rashford’s whopping £325,000-a-week salary will help no end as the Red Devils look to balance the books.
A loan spell to Italy looks like but it is a plan for the summer which could get the ball moving. Rashford is likely to cost between £30-50m and we could see one or two Premier League teams having a sniff. Whatever happens, it looks like he leaves and that could be a huge boost.
