Manchester United are planning to rebuild their struggling midfield in the summer ahead of next season – and the players leaving Old Trafford will help fund the next stage of Ruben Amorim’s plans.
Ruben Amorim continues to rely on Manchester United’s engine room, but he knows it is not built for the long term. The Portuguese coach hopes it will remain functional until the end of this season before a full-scale refurbishment takes place.
Bruno Fernandes remains the mainstay and most influential player in United’s midfield, while Brazilian veteran Casemiro has found new life in recent weeks and suggests he can still get a job in the team despite approaching 34. And Mason Mount has shown glimpses of the form that once convinced United to spend £60m to lure him to Old Trafford.
But Amorim knows he still has a ways to go when it comes to areas of the team where wins and losses are decided in the biggest games. Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot have not reached the standards required at the highest level, while Coby Mainu’s career has regressed faster than Max Verstappen’s.
Before agreeing to become United manager, Amorim revealed that he had been following the fortunes of the English giants since he was young. As such, he knows better than anyone how the most successful United team on record was defined by that magical midfield unit.
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Like the one Sir Alex Ferguson put together with Roy Keane, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and David Beckham. And those four also got a little bit of help from a guy named Ryan Giggs. This formidable quartet helped United win the Treble in 1999 and went on to win countless other trophies.
Fergie also had the privilege of having United greats Bryan Robson and Paul Ince manage the game in previous eras. What would Amorim give if he could call up players like Robson and Keane now?
Instead, Amorim will have to offer huge amounts of money to other clubs next summer if they want to build a midfield that can be compared to the greatest of all clubs.
United’s leadership spent last summer addressing the team’s obvious attacking deficiencies. And then spend the next time aiming for the heartbeat on the side. Director of football Jason Wilcox is working closely with Amorim to come up with a list of realistic targets.
That includes Brighton’s Carlos Baleva, with whom United made tentative inquiries about six months ago. There is also interest in England international Adam Wharton, Wolves star Joao Gomez and VFB Stuttgart sensation Angelo Stiller.
In short, Amorim wants a midfield with youth, energy and class. None of this comes cheap, with Baleva estimated to be worth around £115m.
But co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it his mission to balance the books at Old Trafford since taking a stake in the club 18 months ago. Coach Ratcliffe has cut jobs across the board and reduced player salary bills. And the INEOS chief executive knows United’s efforts to strengthen their midfield options will also be shaped by the prospect of realizing further significant savings between now and then.
This includes the termination of the contracts of the highest earners Jadon Sancho, Casemiro and Harry Maguire. Sancho will leave as a free agent, but Casemiro and Maguire will have to stay on significantly reduced terms if they want to stay. There is also belief that Marcus Rashford’s £325,000-a-week wage will end on a permanent move to Barcelona.
If all four were gone, that would mean £1m a week would be cut from the wage bill, not to mention some of Rashford’s wages on top of that.
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