Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown believes that a major unaddressed issue is standing between manager Ruben Amorim and success at Old Trafford.
Given Amorim’s constant squad rotations since arriving at the club, it appears as if the Portuguese manager is unsure of who his best team may be. According to Brown, there is a clear reason for Amorim’s indecisiveness.
“I think the recruitment has been a big problem,” Brown told Football Insider.
“There are players there who shouldn’t be anywhere near a Manchester United side who are looking to be successful in terms of winning trophies. The money spent on bringing these players in and paying their wages has been astronomical,” he explained. Brown did not hold back when it came to singling out the prime culprits.
“Look at Antony, for example, and how much they spent on him – he is nowhere near good enough. The two lads up front, Hojlund and Zirkzee, aren’t good enough to lead the line in a competitive side, but cost the club over £100 million between them,” Brown observed.
“Amorim has given all of these players chances, but he’s got to know what his best team is, and it’s a problem that there is no clear idea of that. So many players at the club simply aren’t good enough to make you think, yeah, he’s a nailed-on starter.”
“The manager’s priority has to be to work out what his best team is and to sort out the defence, but it’s a job that has been made harder than it should be by the players they have brought in before him,” Brown concluded.
Clearly, the former United chief scout is of the opinion that Amorim has walked into a difficult situation at United, given the limited talent he has to work with. Much of the poor talent ID exhibited at United can be traced to his predecessor, Erik ten Hag.
While Ten Hag’s former assistant coach at United, Rene Hake, was quick to defend his former boss, listing Andre Onana, Lisandro Martinez, and Noussair Mazraoui among the players who had been effective transfers, there are many flops from the Ten Hag era that come as a result of his skewed perception.
As Brown mentioned, Antony is a prime example. While Ten Hag may have been impressed by the Brazilian while the pair worked together at Ajax, the £82 million splashed on Antony was incredibly exorbitant. What’s more, the club may show him to the exit door, with Amorim believed to be considering selling Antony in January.
Hojlund has been a constantly poor performer, netting just seven goals in 20 appearances in all competitions. This includes just two goals in 12 Premier League outings. (Transfermarkt)
Such poor stats for a £72 million signing are downright unacceptable.
While Joshua Zirkzee appears to finally be adjusting to life at Old Trafford with an impressive performance against Tottenham Hotspur last week, he also remains relatively unproven. Perhaps more time will be needed to determine whether or not his £36.5 million purchase was worth it.
Sadly, Ten Hag’s poor recruitment has steepened the challenge facing Amorim at United.
To add to this issue, Amorim may be granted a tighter transfer budget than Ten Hag if reports are to be believed, which will not help him bolster his squad.
Ultimately, Amorim’s chance at success may depend on his ability to nurture the talent he has on the training pitch. This may prove to be the ultimate test to determine his ability to lead a club as big as Manchester United.
Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
