Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, smiles during a stadium walk around ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United
Ruben Amorim will be strengthening his Manchester United squad this summer
Manchester United are trying to change a transfer narrative this summer.
The Reds have a woeful recruitment record in recent times with success stories hard to find amid the billions spent on transfers.
United are hoping Mathues Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo will be successful, while the Ineos led policy of signing younger players with potential to grow and develop has shown positive signs amid the early days of Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi's fledgling careers.
It's about time United worked smart in the market. A glance at some of their biggest arrivals in recent memory includes the likes of Paul Pogba, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Romelu Lukaku, Angel Di Maria and Casemiro. None of that £500+million sextet could be considered a success. And that is just picking from players who cost more than £60million.
So it's not difficult to see where United have been going wrong. And it's not too hard to see how things could be put right.
In the same timeframe that United have been wasteful, a host of top players have departed the Bundesliga for big bucks. Many of them were snapped up by German clubs at a fraction of their sale prices, attracted by the lure of regular football and the opportunity to impress.
Jude Bellingham, who United courted, is the most obvious example although he might be something of a one-off case given he had his pick of clubs across Europe. But if United's recent recruitment track record had been a bit better and the club a bit more stable, then the England international could perhaps have been swayed.
But the likes of Ballon d'or favourite Ousmane Dembele, one-time United target Randal Kolo Muani and Premier League success stories Josko Gvardiol and Dominik Szoboszlai have all recently left sides in Germany for huge sums and huge profits.
If United married intelligent recruitment with a stable on pitch environment then they could surely have tempted a Dembele from Rennes, a Kolo Muani from Nantes, a Gvardiol from Dinamo Zagreb or a Szoboszlai from RB Salzburg. Those four cost a combined €74million when they moved to Germany, they were sold for €385million.
There's more too. Dani Olmo, Xavi Simons, Michael Olise, even Erling Haaland. They all opted for Germany as the next step in their careers.
Of course United want to be an end destination rather than a next step. But this is a team that finished 15th in the Premier League last season and will be absent from European football next term. The cloth needs to be cut accordingly.
If United can dip into a market that has delivered talent, trophies and profit to a host of German clubs in recent seasons then they can solve a problem that has plagued them for years.
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