Rúben Amorim, or whoever takes over from Erik ten Hag as Manchester United's manager, will face a restricted budget for squad enhancements in January. Following Ten Hag's substantial £200m summer investment in five players—Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte—there is only a modest financial allocation to potentially reverse the team's fortunes during the winter transfer window.
While the new manager won't be forced to sell players to buy, financial regulations emphasizing profitability and sustainability dictate that any significant spending will require balancing through player sales. Over the five transfer windows of his tenure, approximately £600m has been invested in building a squad for Ten Hag.
Apart from Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Højlund, and Kobbie Mainoo, who are considered untouchable, United's roster lacks high-value assets, with Marcus Rashford potentially the most valuable at around £60m. There are indications that Amorim is keen on the job, and it seems a matter of United finalizing compensation with Sporting, where his contract includes an €10m (£8.3m) release clause for such a move.
Sources suggest Amorim can be indecisive, but at this point, it appears United should secure a deal. Sporting has a cup match at home against Nacional on Tuesday night, and even if negotiations proceed smoothly, United is unsure if Amorim would be in place for Sunday's home game against Chelsea. United currently sits 14th in the Premier League after nine games, with 11 points, eight goals, and a goal difference of -3. In the Europa League, they are 21st after drawing their first three matches.
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