Ruben Amorim Triggers Major Transfer Shake-Up at Manchester United—Exclusive Inside Look
Reports suggest that Manchester United's choice to dismiss Ruben Amorim will not affect the club's plans for the January transfer market.
United invested heavily during the previous summer window to revamp their struggling attack, spending more than £200 million ($270.3 million) on players like Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško. Additional investment in other squad areas—particularly central midfield—is planned for summer 2026, but January appears set to pass without new arrivals.
United had shown interest in a potential move for Antoine Semenyo due to his £65 million release clause availability. However, Semenyo's reported preference for Manchester City over United and other linked clubs won't cause them to pursue alternative targets, according to The Athletic. The publication states there will be "no meaningful change" to this approach following this week's developments.
Amorim had seemed frustrated when stating on Christmas Eve: "I have the feeling that if we have to play a perfect 3-4-3 we need to spend a lot of money and need time. I'm starting to understand that is not going to happen." He declined to elaborate on these remarks just three days before his dismissal.
Wilcox Leading Big Picture Approach
This decision to wait will ultimately preserve funds for summer spending, when potential targets like Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton might require nine-figure investments, while also preventing United from making hasty recruitment decisions during this challenging window.
The approach emphasizes that recruitment authority rests with director of football Jason Wilcox as part of a comprehensive club-wide strategy, rather than being manager-driven as previously. This balance seems to have caused the sudden deterioration in relations between Wilcox and Amorim, resulting in the latter's departure.
Interim manager Darren Fletcher, and whoever takes over as temporary boss until season's end—Ole Gunnar Solskjær has expressed interest and Michael Carrick is reportedly linked—will almost certainly need to work with the existing squad to achieve more consistent performances.
How Will Man Utd Line Up Under Darren Fletcher?
Significant focus will be on Fletcher's team selection against Burnley in Wednesday night's Premier League fixture, and his tactical setup.
Amorim spent over a year attempting to implement a 3-4-2-1 system, with Patrick Dorgu being a key signing designed to support this formation. However, the Portuguese coach eventually switched to a 4-2-3-1 for December's Newcastle United match—most squad members, including the adaptable Dorgu, are better suited to conventional systems like this, or a similar 4-3-3.
In his role as Under-18s coach, Fletcher has employed a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout this season.