Ruben Amorim spoke alongside Mason Mount
Ruben Amorim spoke alongside Mason Mount
"We want the best players in the world. If I see someone [playing for Wednesday's opponents ASEAN All-Stars] with value, he could be on our list! No matter the region, you all have space if you can perform and you are one of the best in the world!"
Ruben Amorim was typically candid when speaking at his first press conference of Manchester United's post-season tour.
United will face ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow before another friendly against Hong Kong just two days later. While two friendlies on the back of a dismal campaign are just about the last thing anyone wants, they have at least allowed reporters another chance to press Amorim on his plans for the transfer window, which opens later this week.
The club's recruitment has been nowhere near good enough over the last decade. Their work in the market cannot solely be blamed for their lowly finish in the Premier League last season, but it is a big contributing factor.
There's been no shortage of big-name players and big-money signings littered across United squads of the past decade, yet they've never threatened to reclaim their place at the top of English football.
The model needs to change and Amorim knows it.
A number of the Premier League clubs who were chasing European football this season have developed a knack for unearthing hidden gems from across the globe for relatively modest fees, with their business model helping them to grow and even compete with England's top teams.
Of course, it would be remiss to suggest a club the size of United should be aspiring to become a Brighton or a Bournemouth, but there are certainly things they could learn from such teams.
That's not to say that the aforementioned teams don't ever splash the cash and that big-money signings should be forever avoided - United's potential £62.5million swoop for Matheus Cunha would be a solid bit of business given the profile of the player and the quality he's shown in a 3-4-2-1 system - but big-money moves don't always bring success. And United know that better than most.
Modest fees and players who haven't previously been linked with Real Madrid might not grab the back pages, but winning games will.
If Amorim thinks a player is good enough to improve the team then, in his words, "he could be on the list", and that's all United should care about.
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