Ruben Amorim once proved that no player is more important than the team by selling several Sporting CP stars and going on to win two league titles. Now, the Manchester United boss is sending the same message by sticking to his guns and letting go of any player that isn’t fully on board with his coaching methods.
Amorim was still an inexperienced manager when he took the reins at Sporting in March 2020. Yet, he had a clear vision for the team from the outset, which involved building his own squad around his own philosophy. That necessitated a significant squad overhaul in his first transfer window at the helm. The tactician sold a whopping seven players that first summer and allowed three to leave on free transfers, while loaning out an additional 15 players. It didn't matter whether they were established stars or not - if they didn't meet his requirements, they were axed.
One such example was Marcos Acuna, who had made 36 appearances the previous season and even captained the team in the final game against Benfica. However, the Argentina international was swiftly sold to Sevilla.
Another player that butted heads with Amorim and didn’t survive to tell the tale was Islam Slimani. The Algerian had returned to Sporting as a fan favourite in 2022 and immediately started scoring.
Yet, Slimani only lasted a matter of months as his attitude didn’t sit well with his manager. Amorim once sent him home early from a training session, citing his "lack of commitment" and "inability to make a big effort" with the team.
Slimani's poor response to being benched in favour of striker Paulinho was a step too far for Amorim. The manager made his stance clear at the time, stating: "Those who train better, play better and are called up. It doesn't matter to me. I can risk my work and qualifiers. It will be like this until I stop being a coach."
That has also become a recurring theme during his short time at Old Trafford. Early into his United reign, in December, he made it very clear that no player was untouchable as he dropped Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the matchday squad against Manchester City.
Rashford would then find himself completely frozen out of the squad and sent on loan to Aston Villa in January, with the United academy product likely to make a permanent move this summer.
Garnacho, meanwhile, allegedly showed 'dissent' towards his head coach and has also been listed on the transfer market this summer. Napoli and Chelsea are among the clubs reportedly interested in the £40 million Argentine winger.
After the final game of the season against Aston Villa, Amorim addressed the Old Trafford crowd with an apologetic speech, assuring them that the "good days are coming" after the club's worst-ever Premier League finish.
Pivotal to achieving that plan is a squad overhaul in the transfer window. Like Rashford and Garnacho, Jadon Sancho is expected to depart after Chelsea paid a £5m penalty fee to send him back to United, having decided against signing him permanently.
Brazilian winger Antony is also set to join the mass exodus after a successful loan spell at Real Betis, where he said he is "smiling and happy" since joining the Spanish club in January. Many more are sure to follow him out of Carrington’s doors.