Ruben Amorim massively disappointed with imbalanced Man United squad he inherited | OneFootball

INEOS’ decision to offer Erik ten Hag a new contract following the FA Cup triumph last season proved to be a disastrous call as the Dutchman was sacked a couple of months later following Manchester United’s dismal start to the current campaign.

The subsequent decision to bring in Ruben Amorim, a manager known for playing a polar opposite style, has not paid immediate dividends as expected with the Red Devils languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.

Players have cited the difference in style as a reason for the team’s disappointing results while the new head coach has also made it pretty clear that things will get much worse before they eventually improve.

A cursory glance at the squad shows what a tough job the Portuguese tactician has on his hands with most of the players recruited to fit a transitional style of play.

Recruited to fit transitional style

Before the January window, the 20-time English league champions were riddled with inconsistent wingers and defenders capable of playing in a low block, something Amorim has alluded to recently.

“We have players like Harry Maguire and Matta [Matthijs] de Ligt defending the box, they are really strong, but then when they have to cover a lot of space, the game changes for them.

“So I know that, but I have to not just think about now, of course we need to survive, but it is really hard for me to play like we play in the second half. But I feel the players are more comfortable sometimes defending in the low block,” Amorim had said recently.

The winter window saw the club get rid of Marcus Rashford and Antony while Patrick Dorgu was brought in to play the role of a wingback and there were signs of improvement before the Dane’s dubious red card against Ipswich Town.

The ex-Sporting CP boss wants his midfielders to be able to handle the intensity of his demands but he has been forced to play Bruno Fernandes as a deep-lying playmaker due to the lack of quality at his disposal.

And even up front, the lack of goals this season can be explained by the fact that Amorim has had to utilise a really young bunch who are still learning on the job, not what a club like United should rely on.

As per Givemesport, Amorim has made his disappointment known to the powers above regarding the haphazard nature of recruitment which has left him with a disbalanced squad.

Imbalance throughout the squad

“United have been continually linked with a move for Sporting’s Swedish goal-machine Viktor Gyokeres. But having forked out £200 million on attackers Rasmus Hojlund, Antony and Joshua Zirkzee, United didn’t have the £80 million it would have cost to buy Gyokeres in January.

“In the meantime he has to work with what he’s got and training ground sources say Amorim has been massively disappointed at the imbalance in the squad and the haphazard recruiting.

“It’s left him with midfielders like Casemiro and Cristian Eriksen who can no longer compete physically in the Premier League, while too much burden has been placed on young players like Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.”

The head coach has a mountain to climb and ideally, he needs a lot of help in the summer to reconfigure the squad to his liking. Given the PSR concerns, it remains to be seen how much help the co-owners can provide.

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