Ruben Amorim tells Sir Jim Ratcliffe that Man United MUST improve both their transfer business and the academy in blunt message
- Man United has made several mistakes in the transfer market in recent years
- Ruben Amorim has admitted that the club need to improve their recruitment
- Listen to It all starts! Why Manchester United may have to sell Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has warned the club and urged them to improve their transfer operations and academy.
Amorim has amassed a mixed record since joining Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in November. He won only four (and lost six) of his twelve games in charge.
Despite the turbulent start, it is recognized that United will allow the Portuguese boss to further his long-term vision at the club after a difficult period in their history.
The Red Devils, who currently sit 13th in the Premier League, have not won the top flight since 2012/2013, while they have regularly failed to qualify for the Champions League over the past decade.
This is despite a period of high spending, which saw several big-money signings at Old Trafford fail to make a positive impact on the club, including £85m Antony, £60m Angel Di Maria and £73m Jadon Sancho.
And ahead of United’s FA Cup match against Arsenal on Sunday, Amorim stressed that United must do better in the transfer market in the future.
Ruben Amorim has urged Man United to improve their transfer operations and academy
United have made several transfer mistakes in recent years, such as signing Antony for £85 million
Amorim’s words about the academy come despite United’s impressive youth production line
“I don’t remember saying clearly that I want new players,” he said. “What I said is that sometimes the profile of the system is different and the players came here with a different idea of playing.
‘We need to improve recruitment if we focus on players we know can meet the requirements.’
Meanwhile, United have long been known for their track record in youth development, with Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo being just three examples of academy graduates who have established themselves in the first team in recent years.
Mail Sport reported this week that the Red Devils would be open to selling Mainoo and Garnacho if major bids come in for the two youth products this month or in the summer, given the need to comply with Financial Fair Play restrictions (FFP).
However, Amorim insisted he wanted to keep Mainoo and also outlined his desire to see United’s academy improve in the future.
He added: ‘Yes, my players are always my favorites, so I want to keep my players. It’s a special moment for this club, it’s a difficult moment, but I’m very happy that Kobbie is getting better.
“We also need to improve our academy, young kids who feel the club in the right way and do business to have money to invest in the team.
“Our idea is always to keep the best players and build for this club, but I am very happy and like our players, especially the academy boys.”
Amorim’s warnings are likely to be heeded by United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe (above)
Amorim also insisted he wanted to keep Kobbie Mainoo despite speculation about his future
Elsewhere, Rashford has missed the last six games after indicating he would consider a new challenge in his career, and there has been much speculation about a January departure for the 27-year-old.
And speaking on Friday, Amorim was reluctant to say whether the troubled star would return to the Arsenal squad on Sunday.
“We’ll see guys,” he added. ‘Let’s concentrate on the game. They are available, they are training, we will see for this match.’
