Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, applauds the fans following the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on August 30, 2025 in Manchester, England.placeholder image
Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, applauds the fans following the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on August 30, 2025 in Manchester, England. | Getty Images
Man Utd are now looking to the future and are set to battle with the Premier League big spenders for one of Europe’s in-demande stars.
The next phase of Manchester United’s recruitment rebuild will be to identify players who can be developed into regulars and take the club to the next level.
There is a core of the squad who Ruben Amorim trusts and with the expensive players who have departed, it should be more harmonious and, at least, pulling in the same direction. With the Premier League spending more money than ever before, every team around the globe knows that, if a top-flight team from England comes calling, the price tag goes up. Even with those who have yet to fully establish themselves.
Man Utd target Ajax starlet Jorthy Mokio
One player who perfectly fits this profile is Ajax prodigy Jorthy Mokio who, according to TEAMtalk, United are watching and could play a number of roles under Ruben Amorim.
Competition is fierce though with Barcelona and Real Madrid joining the likes of Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in keeping tabs on the 17-year old. The report claims that Mokio is the perfect combination of Declan Rice and N’Golo Kante, however, he is also capable of playing at both centre-half and left-back. It is easy to see why Amorim might green light a move for a player who is perfect for a 3-4-3 system.
Mokio knocked back interest from Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024 showing that he has a level head on his young shoulders. He could have earned more money at the Bundesliga and La Liga giants but instead decided that Ajax’s track record of developing young players and the opportunity to play more minutes in the first team at a good level was the more attractive proposition. It is this mindset that United should sell to Mokio with game time likelier to be more frequent at Old Trafford.
Should Amorim play more young players?
The question of playing more young players was raised last season when United were struggling but never in any real doubt of being relegated.
The age old question of whether or not it would have been beneficial or detrimental to their development was one that BBC Sport pundit Fara Williams approached: “I am of the mindset that I also would have protected them myself as a coach. It is all well and good giving these players their debuts when you think they are ready and have got players around them to support them, when things are positive and you can integrate them into the team - that is always easier.
“At one of the biggest clubs in the world, bringing on one or two might have been OK, but three or four could have done more harm than good. But on the other side, I am also of the mindset - how do you recognize character? How do you build character? It is in those moments that you would recognise what character and qualities these young players have. You would be able to see quite early if they have that ability to handle the pressure of playing for United.”
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