According to reports, Manchester United’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final ‘confirmed’ a ‘fear’ that Ruben Amorim has about his squad.
Man Utd are in a dire situation as their displays under Amorim have been shambolic, sitting 16th in the Premier League with one game remaining.
Amorim has struggled to implement his preferred 3-4-3 system with Man Utd’s squad unsuited to this system and performances have massively declined during this process.
The Red Devils had the opportunity to salvage a real positive from an otherwise disastrous season as they reached the Europa League final, but they came up short against Spurs in a damaging 1-0 loss.
Amorim is under pressure heading into the summer, but it would be pretty unfair to sack the head coach before he’s had the opportunity to work with a squad that’s more equipped to get the most out of his system.
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Man Utd’s loss to Spurs restricts their transfer budget heading into a season without European football, but sales are expected to boost their chances of overhauling Amorim’s underperforming squad.
United’s priority is to strengthen in forward areas with Wolves’ Matheus Cunha and Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap mooted as leading targets, but they are looking to recruit in other positions.
Man Utd could do with signing at least one new midfielder as they lack energy in the middle of the pitch, and a report from ESPN’s Mark Ogden claims Amorim has ‘made it clear’ what he wants in this area.
Amorim has reportedly informed club chiefs that they need ‘to target players who will add pace, power and athleticism to his midfield this summer’.
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It is noted that Amorim is keen to have ‘greater energy and mobility in midfield’, with the head coach ‘concerned that his existing options lack the pace, power and athleticism required to compete in the Premier League’.
The report adds:
‘Sources have said that Amorim went into the Europa League final worried about his team’s ability to match Spurs physically in Bilbao and those fears were confirmed in midfield and attack.’
It is also pointed out that Man Utd have missed out on a cash injection of around £100m following their failure to beat Spurs and earn a spot in next season’s Champions League.
However, Amorim will ‘still be backed’ this summer, with Cunha and Delap currently their most likely additions.
‘The club are already close to sealing a £62.5 million deal for Wolves forward Matheus Cunha. United also want to sign Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap, who is available to clubs who trigger his £30 million release clause, but sources have said that Chelsea are attempting to beat United to the 22-year-old’s signature.’
