Despite a nightmare start as Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim has retained a certain affability, earning him milder media reviews than his actual results deserved. He would crack jokes at press conferences before, even occasionally trading puns with familiar journalists.
But all that is gone. Though he walked into the room with a smile this Friday, his furrowed brows were almost knotted tight. Amorim uncharacteristically dodged some questions and gave only short, sharp replies to others, and when pressed on the January transfer window’s prospects, he delivered the bleakest assessment yet.
"The window will not bring changes," Amorim admitted with frustration. “There are no conversations about squad adjustments at the moment. The club has a set process and a continuous plan. We are indeed close to the Champions League spots, but eight teams are breathing down our necks. So focus on the next game instead. I think we play better with a full-strength squad, the attack is clearly more fluid, we just lack perfection in details. We always strive for more, and we should have more points on the table.”
Amorim looked as if he had rushed to face the media straight after talks with technical director Jason Wilcox. Ruling out any January signings entirely just two days into the window is unprecedented for a Man Utd manager. For Amorim to make such a statement amid a crippling crisis and lack of resources hints at deeper behind-the-scenes problems than imagined.
Sources confirm Amorim held talks with the club’s hierarchy this week, explaining his sombre mood. Insiders told iNews that short-term options like Ruben Neves are not under consideration for now; the club has locked in long-term targets and is set to pursue an elite midfield star in the summer window – this is beyond doubt.
Recent poor form and key player injuries have left Amorim scrambling for a viable lineup. The bench against Wolves on Tuesday resembled a youth academy gathering, with wide-eyed youngsters barely able to believe they had been elevated to such a stage. The fact that the club has available funds, and was once in active pursuit of £65m-rated Antoine Semenyo (who is set to join Man City), makes Amorim’s comments all the more dispiriting for supporters.
INEOS is desperate to rectify years of transfer market mistakes, hence its extreme caution over January business – a month notorious for panic buys. Amorim has long publicly backed this strategy, but weeks of cobbling together makeshift lineups seem to have shaken his conviction and sapped his fighting spirit.
