Ruben Amorim has been a man of his word at Manchester United so far, for better or worse, but he might be forced to break his promise in the January transfer window.
The transfer windows under Ineos have generally been calm and conducted with a sense of precision.
Targets are quickly identified, and deals are done on the club’s terms, failing which the pivot is executed successfully as well.
However, despite Ruben Amorim making it clear that he won’t do one thing in January, he might be forced to do exactly that.
Ruben Amorim’s January promise
Man Utd fans have seen one January transfer window under Ineos so far, getting Patrick Dorgu from Lecce, who looks like a fine long-term prospect.
The upcoming window will be the second, and it will come on the heels of a brilliant summer window where many holes in the squad were filled, except for the midfield.
Big deals are generally difficult to do in January, so loans like those of Wout Weghorst, Marcel Sabitzer, or Sofyan Amrabat are some deals United managed to do in the past.
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However, Amorim recently said that the days of chasing short-term fixes in January are gone, and any player who comes to Old Trafford now will be a part of a conjoined long-term plan.
The same was echoed by Fabrizio Romano on his report on Man Utd’s transfer plans, and it falls in line with the vision preached by Ineos so far.
In theory, that’s exactly the kind of thinking elite clubs should have. In practice, things just became a lot more difficult.
Man Utd’s squad-building dilemma
When Amorim promised that there would be no short-term signings, the team was playing just one game every week, and he had a full squad at his disposal.
After the game against Spurs, Man Utd might have three injury issues, which caused Amorim to soften his stance on January.
He said they’ll look at “solutions” in January, if possible, not ruling out a temporary fix to get them through the season.
It will be particularly crucial at the striker position, where Benjamin Sesko’s injury casts a cloud over a position where Joshua Zirkzee is already itching to leave.
Amorim’s verdict on Zirkzee doesn’t inspire confidence either, so a six-month punt might be forced upon the club to maintain the numbers.
Based on Kobbie Mainoo’s future, the midfield might also need addressing, where a loan for Conor Gallagher with an option to buy could work in United’s favour.
Either way, United could now find themselves in a position where Amorim is forced to walk back on a promise he made with full sincerity.
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