With the summer window closed and another four months before any more business can be executed, it’s crunch time for Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim.
Maybe the Portuguese tactician didn’t get all his wishes in the transfer window with a dominating, high-energy midfielder capable of driving the team still an unfulfilled dream. But now there are no excuses for him at Old Trafford.
Amorim got his wish for more firepower, with a £200million spend on Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo after a shocking season in front of goal in his debut season at the helm.
He has a squad he can work with, packed with expensive internationals, and it should be competitive enough to make progress if it’s not good enough to challenge the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.
The first big test comes this weekend, with a trip to neighbours Manchester City before the visit of Chelsea to Old Trafford on September 20.
Historically, even in bad times, Manchester United have fared better against top-class opposition and Amorim will be hoping his team can do the same this time.
If not, it will add more fuel to the fire that he may not be the man for the job after all. There are enough worries already with Manchester United’s hierarchy wanting Amorim to tone down his emotional public outbursts - especially when they are financially damaging or jeopardise the futures of talented young stars.
Technical director Jason Wilcox was forced into scrambling mode to diffuse Kobbie Mainoo’s loan request as the window entered its final days.
That was a direct result of Amorim pitching the 20-year-old England international against captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the team in a media briefing. It caused collateral damage that the Red Devils' top brass could have done without as they negotiated a tricky end to the summer window.
It was also seen as a stupid and unnecessary move by Amorim, one lacking emotional intelligence and empathy with Manchester United’s history of homegrown young stars.
While admiring Amorim’s honesty, there is a growing feeling within Manchester United’s corridors of power that the manager has to be more savvy in front of the media.
There’s no doubt, some of Amorim’s ‘tell it as it is’ public comments are a welcome departure from the blandness of his Premier League colleagues. But, on the flip side, there’s sometimes an alarming naivety you’d never have heard even from Sir Alex Ferguson in his early days at the club.
Amorim’s insistence, for instance, that infamous ‘Bomb Squad’ members Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Jadon Sancho would never play for Manchester United again didn’t go down well with his bosses.
It made the Red Devils vulnerable when it came to negotiating their departures - especially with the sale of Garnacho - and some behind the scenes at Old Trafford believe it cost the club money.
They would have preferred a more conciliatory approach like the one Newcastle United chief Eddie Howe adopted over Alexander Isak. The Magpies boss left the door open for the striker to stay right until the last moment, even though everyone inside St James’ Park knew he would never play for the club again.
Amorim’s total inflexibility with his playing philosophy is also frustrating key insiders at Old Trafford. It’s been a familiar theme since he arrived from Sporting, but it’s set to become a bigger issue if he can’t get the best out of a lot of expensive new recruits.
There are never any tactical surprises when Amorim sends out Manchester United to play and that gives opposition teams time to prepare a plan.
Red Devils bosses would like Amorim to have a more cunning strategy and tweak his style when they play stronger teams who can brutally expose his 3-4-3 system.
Ange Postecoglou, who was handed the managerial reins at Nottingham Forest earlier this week, had a similar ‘my way or the highway’ approach at Tottenham Hotspur. His refusal to adapt eventually cost him his job.
Manchester United bosses are beginning to fear Amorim will never alter his core philosophy position or even consider a small diversion when the occasion demands.
And that’s causing real anxiety among the top brass, who want to give Amorim every chance to succeed and end the managerial merry-go-round at Old Trafford.
Teen Tipped to be Red Devils' Very Own Dowman
max dowman
The fast-track rise of one Arsenal teenager has given Manchester United fans optimism that one of Old Trafford’s emerging ‘super-kids’ could be a senior player sooner rather than later.
Max Dowman, 15, has already made his Premier League bow with two appearances off the bench this season for the Gunners.
Dowman isn’t 16 until New Year's Eve, but Manchester United have an even younger super talent who is the talk of the Red Devils' academy in 14-year-old JJ Gabriel.
Gabriel - dubbed ‘Kid Messi’ - made headlines again recently with a 22-minute hat-trick for Manchester United’s under-18 team against Derby County. The youngster - not 15 until next month - is considered THE next big star off the Old Trafford production line.
Amorim knows all about the youngster but, unlike Arsenal who are a settled Premier League force, the coach knows Manchester United’s current position means it’s not the right environment to blood such a young player.
But many fans are already predicting he will break the record held by Angel Gomes, who was 16 years and 263 days old when he made his top flight debut for Manchester United against Crystal Palace in May 2017, making him the club’s youngest ever player in the Premier League.
Amorim Should Have Considered De Gea Deal
David de Gea in action for Fiorentina at Old Trafford
Since Ferguson left Manchester United in 2013, goalkeepers have come and gone, with only David De Gea reaching the standards set by Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar.
Belgian Senne Lammens, an £18.2million signing from Royal Antwerp, is the latest to be handed the jersey with the hope he’ll be the real deal.
But have Manchester United missed a trick in giving Lammens the best possible chance to be a Red Devils great in the making? It’s clear Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir aren’t of the quality of past Old Trafford icons between the sticks.
So would it have made sense for Manchester United to try everything to bring back De Gea - even as a temporary No.1 from Fiorentina - while Lammens settles in and gets to grips with the Premier League?
As it stands, Lammens will only have a failed goalkeeper in Bayindir for company, thanks to Onana being off to Trabzonspor, while he learns to get to grips with the hype and expectation at Old Trafford.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 10/09/2025
Sign up to The GIVEMESPORT Report to get exclusive daily updates from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs and Tom Bogert sent straight to your inbox