Could Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim link back up with Sporting captain Mortan Hjulmand in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Imagesplaceholder image
Could Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim link back up with Sporting captain Mortan Hjulmand in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Images | National World / Getty Images
Ruben Amorim’s spent £216 million this summer window but more signings are needed in January
The issue isn’t necessarily the players themselves - two arrivals are in positions of dire need and two are well proven in the Premier League - it’s the fact that over half of Manchester United’s £216 million spent is upgrading the position that was their strongest last season, while they continue to struggle in other areas.
The arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha also force their two standout players from last season out of position while the way Amorim has scapegoated particularly Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho means the Red Devils’ squad now has little flexibility to change from the 3-4-2-1 either under the Portuguese manager or his replacement.
Hjulmand the missing piece for Manchester United
Only signed at the start of Amorim’s penultimate season in the Portuguese capital, Hjulmand immediately became a mainstay in the starting XI and ensured there was no loss of midfield work-rate and dynamism following Ugarte’s €60m (£52m) move to Paris Saint-Germain.
He started 88% of Sporting’s 2023/24 Champions League and Primera Liga matches barring suspension and last season was only left out of the starting XI once for the Lions in all competitions.
England fans don’t need any reminder of the 2024 Danish Player of the Year’s ability to strike a ball after Hjulmand hit the equaliser against the Three Lions in last summer’s Euros but it’s his ability to spark his team into life from deeper that will be of more interest to Manchester United fans.
Despite starting at the base of midfield, Hjulmand was equivalent to the top 17% of all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues in the past year for shots created from live-ball passes and his accuracy ranked among the best on the continent - he was above 90% for short, medium and long-range passes.
What really makes that better pass completion rate than Trent Alexander-Arnold last season so enticing though is how Hjulmand combines it with his indomitable ball-winning ability. His overall tackling numbers are obviously deflated given Sporting’s domestic dominance but excluding players who clocked less than four full 90 minutes in the Champions League last season, only nine players averaged more tackles in the middle third than Hjulmand.
His tackle percentage of 66.7% put him among the top 15% of players in his position and it’s these kind of interventions that can spark Manchester United into life. In Mbeumo, Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Amad Diallo, the Red Devils have the tools to be one of the best counter-attacking teams in the Premier League and Hjulmand would unlock that.
He’s far from a one-trick pony though - at the very worst the Red Devils would be signing a player who upgrades the tenacity of their side and gives them more bite, while aged 26, his ceiling is so much higher.
Existing Amorim relationship paves way for Hjulmand to join Red Devils
It took less than 12 months for Amorim to appoint Hjulmand as his club captain, and after the midfielder scored the equaliser in his final game at the helm final game - one that Sporting went on to win 4-2 - Amorim heaped praise on his leader saying: "It was a great goal by a fantastic player and captain”.
While Hjulmand has since expressed disappointment at the timing of Amorim’s exit, he hasn’t been shy about bigging up his abilities on the training ground and in the dugout.
“When you work with Ruben you see a clear picture. That was important when I joined Sporting – first to understand how he plays. The way that he manages the team inside the pitch and outside the pitch as well is not like I anything I have seen in my short career.”
Manchester United’s struggles do not look like they’re going away any time soon, so reinforcements will be required in central midfield and Hjulmand has the tools and experience plus the relationship with Amorim to succeed at Old Trafford.
Sporting set Hjulmand’s price tag at €80 million (£69m) this summer and he has three years remaining on his contract right now, but it seems possible that the Red Devils could negotiate that fee closer to £60m in January, a good deal for a glue midfielder who could finally kick-start the Amorim era.
Continue Reading