Ruben Amorim urges Manchester United to steer clear of past recruitment mistakes

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is convinced that steering clear of costly blunders in the transfer market is essential to reversing the downward spiral of the renowned club.

The Portuguese tactician has struggled to shift United’s dismal season since taking the reins in November, with the Red Devils currently languishing in 15th place in the Premier League.

This predicament comes despite the club having expended over £600 million (approximately $760 million) on new talent during the two-year tenure of his predecessor, Erik ten Hag.

In the January transfer window, Amorim faced financial constraints, managing only to sign Danish defender Patrick Dorgu, as expenditure at Old Trafford has been dramatically curtailed.

On Monday, the club revealed plans to implement up to 200 redundancies as part of a “transformation plan” aimed at restoring stability.

On Tuesday, Amorim acknowledged that those set to lose their jobs are suffering the consequences of the club’s recent lack of success and highlighted poor recruitment as a core issue.

“It’s easy for me to sit here and say all the nice things – we definitely need to improve,” Amorim remarked.

“The recruitment process is vital; we must enhance the team. Our performance needs to be better, and we should be aiming for European competition instead of our current position this season.“

However, the former Sporting Lisbon manager acknowledged that actions speak louder than words, and he must prove to both the fans and his colleagues that he can change the club’s fortunes.

“They are paying the price for our failure to achieve success, and I can offer no assurances to the fans or staff that we will get there,” he added.

“We have a strategy. As a coach, I believe we need to become a stronger team, improve our recruitment, and avoid making repeated errors in that area.”

The £100 million investment in underperforming strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee serves as a glaring example of where United has struggled to secure value.

Hojlund has managed to find the net just twice in this season’s Premier League, with his most recent goal in any competition occurring against Viktoria Plzen on December 12.

Nevertheless, Amorim noted that the Danish forward requires better support from his teammates.

“It’s obvious that as a team, we’re not providing Rasmus with enough help,” he stated. “We’re not creating sufficient chances for him.

“I firmly believe that Rasmus has significant potential. By refining our gameplay, he would receive more opportunities to score. He joined us at a young age, and for such a young player, being the main striker consistently can be challenging at times.

“He possesses the talent, which he has already demonstrated, but ultimately, it’s more about team performance than just Rasmus himself.”