Manchester United have now been hit with a major roadblock in bringing in one midfield talent who could play alongside Kobbie Mainoo under Ruben Amorim.
Ruben Amorim has welcomed new arrivals to the Manchester United first-team squad this summer and the coach has been tipped to sign a new midfielder.
The 40-year-old United manager is limited with his options in the middle of the park and Amorim also oversaw the departure of Christian Eriksen from Old Trafford.
Christian Eriksen was out of contract with United after the 2024-25 Premier League campaign and the 33-year-old Danish midfielder’s deal expired on 30th June.
Amorim is currently – and mainly – relying on Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Toby Collyer, Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes to play in the middle of the park.
However, the Portuguese coach needs further midfield squad depth and is lacking a key defensive midfielder to rival Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte in the starting XI.
Ruben Amorim’s position on Denmark midfielder Morten Hjulmand and Man Utd’s pursuit of the Sporting CP captain
Ruben Amorim is all too familiar with Morten Hjulmand, having seen the 26-year-old defensive midfielder become Sporting CP captain under his reign at the club.
The Manchester United manager had been tipped for a reunion with the Sporting CP skipper this summer amid his pursuit of a new midfield option for his side.
Amorim rolled out his tactical system at United and the former Sporting boss is still working out his best two-man midfield, including Kobbie Mainoo’s role in his side.
According to GiveMeSport, United head coach Amorim has now been ‘deterred’ from the Red Devils’ pursuit of Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand this summer.
The publication reports that the Red Devils have ‘ongoing concerns’ about a transfer approach due to the Denmark international’s hefty release clause at Sporting.
Sporting inserted a release clause ‘worth close to £70m’ in Hjulmand’s contract, with the payout fee coming in at about £69m (€80m) for the Denmark midfielder.
Man Utd’s transfer stance on reuniting Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand with Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford
Morten Hjulmand has attracted interest from United and Manchester City this summer and the ex-Lecce midfielder is under contract with Sporting CP until 2028.
GiveMeSport claims that United do not think that the Primeira Liga champions will ‘listen to offers’ outside of the release clause in Hjulmand’s Sporting contract.
The outlet added that United could ‘face an uphill battle to reach an agreement’ with Sporting over a deal and ‘influential figures’ at the club hold a clear-cut stance now.
It is believed that they are ‘adamant’ that it would be ‘almost impossible to sign’ Manchester City-linked Hjulmand for a ‘reasonable price’ this summer.
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