Ruben Amorim is in a tough spot at Manchester United following the collapse of two incoming deals in January and a decision not to allow one troubled star to leave Old Trafford
Ruben Amorim has endured a difficult winter transfer window at Manchester United after a lack of major incomings.
The Red Devils, who sit 13th in the Premier League table, welcomed two new signings in Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu and young Arsenal defender Ayden Heaven. However, attacking recruits failed to materialise despite United’s goalscoring problems this season.
The lack of additions comes in spite of a number of high-profile exits, including academy graduate Marcus Rashford, who had been banished from the first team by head coach Amorim. The 27-year-old sealed a loan move to Aston Villa until the end of the season, while fellow wideman Antony was allowed to leave after completing a loan to Spanish side Real Betis.
United’s challenges during the January window can partly be attributed to the collapse of three key deals. The club was linked with moves for Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Bayern Munich’s starlet Mathys Tel but failed to tie either of them down.
Meanwhile, a sizeable deal to offload Joshua Zirkzee, which had been put forward by Italian giants Juventus, was rejected. The 23-year-old has suffered a difficult start to life at Old Trafford after United forked out £36.5m to secure his services from Bologna last summer, registering only four goals and two assists this season.
Zirkzee’s lowest point came in the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle at the end of December when he was taken off in the first half by Amorim. The forward appeared tearful at the decision and headed straight down the tunnel before re-emerging to sit in the dugout a few minutes later.
While Amorim was said to be happy to keep Zirkzee around, as per Fabrizio Romano, one former player insists his behaviour would not have been tolerated by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. In fact, ex-United and Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster, who spent five years at Old Trafford under Ferguson, believes the Scotsman would have shown Zirkzee the exit door after his actions.
“When he walked off down the tunnel… if Alex Ferguson would have been manager, that player would have been done,” Foster told viewers on his YouTube channel.
“Whoever that is, if you walk off that pitch when you’ve been brought off after 30 minutes, get a coat and walk straight into the dressing room. You’re done. I promise you, you’re done. It just doesn’t work like that.”
Foster admitted to feeling sorry for Zirkzee, but his comments highlight a key difference in style between the two managers, with Ferguson displaying far more ruthlessness. Rather than get rid of Zirkzee or sign a replacement in Nkunku and Tel, who were both discussed but never came close to joining, Amorim has opted to keep faith with the Dutchman despite his meagre return of four goals.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that United’s failure to add a new forward in January came down to as little as £5million.
A number of attacking options presented themselves during the window, with Tel looking the most likely arrival. It later emerged on Sunday evening that Tel’s move to Old Trafford had collapsed.
Further salt was rubbed in the wounds by Tottenham’s successful deadline day swoop for the same player. According to The Athletic, Bayern’s demands were more than United were prepared to meet.
However, their main request was a relatively modest £5m loan fee, with no option to buy included at the end of the deal. The lack of activity leaves Amorim in a tough position, with the Red Devils experiencing a woeful campaign so far and European football appearing to be beyond their reach.
