Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim
For much of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, it has been hard to define Manchester United's player recruitment strategy.
With the Glazers in charge of the purse strings, United would often fork out huge fees for players who consistently found themselves to be past their prime. Managers were given the authority to make decisions on players, which in theory is a positive but in practice proved to be a nightmare as too much power was conceded to those in the dugout.
Upon Ineos' arrival, things soon changed with them finally creating a recruitment team who could work in tandem with the head coach. Their ethos is clear too - buy players young and cheap.
United's days of forking out £80m on players merely because they have the approval of the manager has ended. Now, the Reds are focusing on the next generation of stars, leaning into the vision that served Ferguson so well for many years.
However, the Ferguson era may have been defined by exciting young talent like the Class of '92, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, but it also required a bed of experienced professionals to help guide the youngsters through those early stages. As has been proven this season, United just does not have that in their ranks.
Results have been disastrous this season, and in the January transfer window, the Reds decided to spend frugally to try and change that. The main addition was wing-back Patrick Dorgu, who, at 20, had become a star for Serie A strugglers Lecce.
The jump to the Premier League is a different beast, though, and Amorim has already admitted he has needed to enforce changes on Dorgu to bring him up to speed. "We work with him and he is understanding better the way we want to play," the United head coach told the club's media channels.
"He has some habits from the last club [Lecce]. In the first moments, he has had to change things, but it has been a good week."
Manchester United wing-back Patrick Dorgu (Image: Getty Images)
And here lies the problem with Ineos' recruitment strategy. It is all well and good signing young players, but they cannot be blamed if they don't hit the ground running immediately - they are still learning their craft and are not the finished article.
That's also fine if you are introducing a player like Rooney or Ronaldo into a winning team, as it helps them to grow quickly into their new surroundings. But currently, there is a severe lack of experienced professionals who Amorim can point to as the standard bearers.
Bruno Fernandes is arguably the only one who is currently fit who Amorim can use as an example. A long-term project is admirable, but United need to see noticeable improvements in the short-term.
But if they continue to sign a host of young, rough diamonds, the club cannot expect short-term success. It remains to be seen if, by the summer, Ineos chooses to sign some senior professionals to rebuild standards while also helping to integrate exciting youth prospects.
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