Manchester United are stick in the bottom half of the table, and it’s looking like a worrying situation.
At the start of the month, we loftily looked at Manchester United’s away game with Arsenal, noting that an away win would cut the gap to the Gunners to just three points, and spark a European charge.
United are currently 11 points below fourth placed Arsenal, and it feels like a lot more than that.
Just getting into the top 10 seems beyond us right now, even though we are only three points back from 10th.
And there’s fear that United should be looking behind us down the Premier League table, instead of upwards.
In 14th place, United are to 18th placed Leicester, via an eight point gap, than the Champions League spots.
How do Manchester United change things
Ruben Amorim once again insisted he needs more time on the training pitch with his players.
There is a brief respite for him with some additional training time, with United next playing on Monday night.
Yet the real antidote to his issues may be a spark of new arrivals, with the January transfer window around the corner.
Asked on MUTV if he expects Ruben Amorim to be telling Ineos he needs new signings, former player Danny Simpson responded.
He said: “I’d surprised if he’s not saying that,” before adding: “I think there’s got to be some conversation had where he needs his own players.
“Or some that haven’t played a lot, but you need new players to come in.”
Former United midfielder Sammy McIlroy was also of the opinion that this current squad needs some new faces.
McIlroy commented: “I totally agree with that. One or two, I’m not talking ‘oh we need four or five’ but even one or two at this stage. One or two could give you a lift.”
He added of Amorim: “He wants to be an attacking manager, it just hasn’t taken off yet.”
United need players for Amorim’s system
Ruben Amorim’s tactical set up is totally different to the one implemented under Erik ten Hag.
And while a new approach is certainly needed, there’s a problem that United lack the players suited for Amorim.
Amorim is understood to have expressed that it could take six transfer windows to deliver him the Manchester United squad he really needs.
New faces can give this squad a lift, showing help is at hand ahead of the second half of the season.
It’s one of the reasons United fell apart under Ralf Rangnick in 2022, where there were no signings made, and it felt like the Glazers were giving up on the season.
Even a couple of low-cost additions for the first team in the window would send a message to the current squad that reinforcements are here, adding depth, at a time when the cavalry really is needed.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
