If it were up to Ruben Amorim, he would have been the main signing for Manchester United this upcoming summer. Following the decision to dismiss Erik ten Hag on October 93, United quickly recognized Amorim as their primary candidate to take over from the Dutch coach. The Portuguese manager was experiencing great success at Sporting Lisbon and had connections to both Liverpool and Manchester City earlier in the year. Although his reputation was at its peak, Amorim preferred to finish the season with Sporting. United informed him it was a matter of making a decision quickly. “I had three days to choose an option that would significantly alter my life,” Amorim shared before heading to England. “The sole condition I put forward was to have the transfer occur at the end of the season, but the club (United) informed me that it wasn’t an option; it was a choice I had to make right away. I realized that if I turned it down, I wouldn’t have another opportunity in six months.” I realized that in half a year, I would be certain that I would no longer be at Sporting. By changing things up during the season, Amorim has gained the opportunity to closely observe and evaluate United’s issues. It’s an understatement to say he has numerous issues to address. However, the expectation is that United can just get through until summer, after which they will start the initial stage of the Amorim rebuild. Nonetheless, considerable investment will be necessary, along with patience, as not all problems can be resolved in a single time frame. That said, United has three key priorities to tackle before the summer, which they cannot afford to overlook. One of these is acquiring a reliable goalscorer.
