Ruben Amorim is set to request the signing of a new defender to bolster his squad in a meeting with the Manchester United decision-makers on Friday.
Amorim got his first win as United boss on Thursday as a goal from Alejandro Garnacho and a Rasmus Hojlund brace secured a comeback victory over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League at Old Trafford.
But like the 1-1 draw with Ipswich in his first game in charge, it wasn’t a convincing display as the Portuguese boss works to implement his ethos and vision for the club during the season.
Reports have claimed Amorim won’t have significant funds to add to his squad in January as the Red Devils struggle to comply with profit and sustainability regulations as a result of of the sizeable sum they’ve had to shell out to sack Erik ten Hag and replace him with Amorim.
But The Sun claim he will arrive at a meeting with Dan Ashworth and the other United directors on Friday with a ‘wanted list’ of new players.
One player on that list is said to be Benfica star Tomas Araujo, who’s impressed alongside former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi at the heart of the Portuguese giant’s defence this season,
Araujo – who won his first international cap last week – was linked with Crystal Palace and Paris Saint-Germain during the summer, but interest was waved away from Benfica chiefs, who are well aware of the centre-back’s talent and won’t allow him to leave easily.
The report claims Amorim hopes to persuade the United bosses to make a £50m bid for Araujo in January as the 22-year-old ‘has all the attributes he’s after – he is 6 ft 2, a good passer of the ball, and physically strong, with plenty of room for improvement.’
Araujo can play both in the middle or on the right of defence, making him a good fit for Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formation and ‘is considered the best prospect to come out of Portugal’s most productive academy since current Manchester City star Ruben Dias’.
Jorge Mendes is Araujo’s representative and it’s thought the renowned super agent ‘is trying to establish a close working relationship with Amorim’, though that link won’t matter if Benfica insist on the defender’s €100m release clause.
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Amorim was eager to point out after United’s win over Bodo/Glimt that his side are a work in progress, but hailed the fans for his “special” welcome to Old Trafford.
He said: “Of course, I see what what everybody sees, good moments, difficult moments.
“There was some confusion in the end trying to hold the result, but the lads did a great job. They ran, they pressed, they tried to do the things we have worked on in the last three days and we won!
“Half of the stadium doesn’t know me, I came from Portugal and I did nothing for this club. Yet the way they make me feel at home is special.
“I will keep this to the end of my career.”
