Ruben Amorim has a mighty job on his hands as he attempts to steer Manchester United in the right direction after a tumultuous five-year period where they've spent over £400million on flops
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Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, looks on with his hand to his mouth
Ruben Amorim has signed one player this summer so far in Matheus Cunha
(Image: Getty Images)
While Manchester United have had a transfer war chest available to reclaim their place among England's football elite in recent years, recruitment has proved to be a major stumbling block.
The Red Devils have lacked consistent success since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 but it certainly hasn't been for the lack of trying. Without a Premier League title since the 2012/13 campaign, the club have been chasing an elusive 21st league triumph and have spent mammoth amounts of money in order to achieve it.
After going through the likes of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, United handed the keys to club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who spent big in his first transfer window where he forked out over £200million on Daniel James, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Bruno Fernandes.
However, it's a period of five years from the summer of 2020 that has caused the club - who've spent over £400m in that time frame - to endure a historical freefall that culminated in their 15th-placed finish last season, their worst league finish since 1973–74.
Solskjaer sanctioned the arrivals of Donny van de Beek, Alex Telles, and Facundo Pellistri in 2020, with £35m being spent on the Dutchman who played just 62 games for the club before leaving for an initial fee of just £423,000 (€500,000).
Rasmus Hojlund has endured a frustrating second season
The Dane striker scored just four Premier League goals last season
In what was his last transfer window at the club and the most significant, the Norwegian icon brought back Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford while spending £34million on World Cup winner Raphael Varane and a whopping £73m on Jadon Sancho. The Englishman came with a sterling reputation from his time at Borussia Dortmund but was never able to recapture the form he showed in Germany.
Sancho, 25, eventually fell out with Solskjaer's replacement in Erik ten Hag who banished him from the first-team in the 2023/24 season. He was subsequently loaned out to Chelsea last season after he was deemed surplus to requirements by Amorim and is expected to depart the club once again.
Like Solskjaer, Ten Hag was confidently backed in the transfer market as he raided the Eredivisie when signing Tyrell Malacia for £13m and his former club in Ajax when buying Lisandro Martinez for £46m. He also made Antony the second-most expensive player in United's history after spending £81m to acquire him.
Antony standing alongside Ruben Amorim
Antony is Manchester United's second-most expensive player ever but is likely to move on this summer
The Brazilian may have had a bright start after scoring three goals in his first games but he managed just nine more goals in his next 93 games as he became regarded as one of the worst signings in Premier League history.
He was sent on loan to Real Betis on January and is one of the likely candidates to depart United on a permanent deal. The 2023/24 transfer business of United is one they are continuing to pay the price on.
The signings of Mason Mount (£55m), Andre Onana (£43m), Rasmus Hojlund (£64m) and Altay Bayindir (£4.3m) have all failed to impress with the striker and goalkeeping positions expected to be improved upon this summer.
Erik ten Hag with Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho was exiled from the team by Erik ten Hag and was deemed surplus to requirements by Amorim
Despite United openly scouring the managerial market to potentially replace Ten Hag after his FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City, he remained in charge as he spent big once again.
Among the likes of Matthijs De Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, and Leny Yoro, it was the £36m spent on Joshua Zirkzee that left fans underwhelmed and even more so after a poor debut season at Old Trafford. The forward scored a mere seven goals, with just three of them coming in the Premier League.
Andre Onana of Manchester United looks on
Andre Onana faces an uncertain future at Manchester United beyond this summer after a disappointing season at M16
There are several deficiencies Amorim is looking at improving and has plugged one gap so far after signing Matheus Cunha for £60m from Wolves earlier this month. The Portuguese boss is also a huge admirer of Bryan Mbeumo and Viktor Gyokeres as he looks to solve United's lack of goal-scoring.
A replacement of Onana could be on the cards this summer in what could prove to be the most important summer in United's modern history.