Ruben Amorim will inherit a Manchester United squad in disarray if he meets expectations by replacing Erik ten Hag as manager in the coming days. The Red Devils are as close to rock bottom as they would ever wish to be, dwindling to 14th in the Premier League after three wins and four defeats in nine matches this season.
Ten Hag’s position became untenable as three draws to start the Europa League campaign left him with just four victories in 14 outings in all competitions at the start of the campaign.
However, following an expenditure of over £600million in the transfer market since his 2022 arrival, the Dutchman’s fingerprints are smeared all over Old Trafford and Carrington.
History may remember Ten Hag fondly. He is the fourth United manager to win trophies in back-to-back seasons after Ernest Mangnall, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Carabao Cup triumph in 2023 ended a six-year trophy drought. May’s remarkable FA Cup success against Manchester City offered a stay of execution – and one of the great days in United folklore.
But the same can’t be said for his recruitment record. You could count the number of successful signings under the 54-year-old’s tenure with one hand.
Ten Hag chipped through United’s resources to manically attempt to build a team in his vision – that vision being an Ajax and Netherlands-based tribute act.
He sanctioned four of the 10 most expensive signings in the club’s history. Antony cost £86million, Rasmus Hojlund £72m, Casemiro £70m and Mason Mount £60m.
According to The Athletic, there were regularly shared concerns within the walls of Old Trafford over whether Ten Hag’s transfer targets were ready to make the desired impact in the Premier League.
Those queries reached as high as Ferguson, who was a regular presence at matches before Sir Jim Ratcliffe brutally terminated his ambassadorial contract earlier this month.
The report claims that Ferguson has expressed frustration over United’s recruitment to close confidants, deeming them below the required standard.
Ten Hag himself reportedly hasn’t been totally convinced by all of his signings, including his most recent addition, £51m midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
The Dutchman is said to have wanted United to make Sofyan Amrabat’s loan deal permanent at the end of last season.
He also wanted to retain the services of Scott McTominay, who had bailed him out on several occasions with clutch late goals.
But United informed him that they had to sanction the academy graduate’s switch to Napoli to fund a swoop for Ugarte.
The club’s recruitment team reportedly need to persuade Ten Hag of the decision by showing him video footage of the Uruguayan in action at Sporting and Paris Saint-Germain.
Ten Hag’s scarce use of Ugarte before his sacking suggested that he still wasn’t sold, though. Amorim will be tasked with elevating his former midfielder, as well as the rest of a damaged set of players.
