Impatient Manchester United risk repeating decade of transfer mistakes

Ruben Amorim’s much-vaunted rebuild at Manchester United could be a false dawn for the former giants if he does not heed the lessons of the past.

There is little to criticise in the Red Devils spending nearly £200 million on attacking reinforcements Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this transfer window, given United’s paltry return of 44 goals in 38 league games last season.

Fans should be concerned that United are signing new players before clearing out those who have underperformed, do not fit Amorim’s tactical system, or are simply not in his plans. Many supporters had hoped his arrival would bring a revival reminiscent of the Ferguson era.

The Portuguese coach insists he cannot put his project on hold for players to leave. Fair enough. But this impatience risks creating a bloated, disjointed squad, all too familiar to supporters who have lived through a decade of managerial turmoil.

United’s great failing since 2013 has not been an unwillingness to spend. On the contrary, they have been among Europe’s biggest spenders. The problem has been an incoherent transfer and succession plan.

Louis van Gaal signed flops Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao in the same window, while also trying to blood academy players. Jose Mourinho demanded established stars but was saddled with ill-fitting leftovers from Van Gaal’s tenure.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær pushed for youth, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to parachute in and disrupt his system. Erik ten Hag wanted a pressing side yet found himself with veterans who did not fit his playing model.

The thread linking all these eras is the same: a bloated squad of mismatched pieces, assembled with little thought for how the puzzle fits together. Players who were never truly part of the manager’s vision lingered on heavy contracts, blocking the path for new arrivals or exciting academy talent, ensuring no system could be implemented cleanly.

Now Amorim appears set to inherit the same problem, only with a fresh cast. Sesko is a smart signing, a mobile striker with the pressing instincts Amorim craves. Mbeumo offers pace and a tireless work rate from wide areas, while Cunha brings versatility and proven Premier League pedigree. The early signs are promising, despite United collecting just one point from their first two games.

But when added to a squad already full of attacking options – the futures of Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony remain unresolved – the logic becomes questionable. Refusing to wait for departures risks carrying three players for every position, with contrasting styles and demands. A bloated squad not only creates selection headaches but also breeds discontent.

Unused stars can make the dressing room toxic. Players on high wages who are left out feel marginalised yet are almost impossible to move on. Rashford is a prime example, despite securing a loan move to Barcelona.

Amorim insists he can manage a large group, but history suggests otherwise. Even Ferguson, in his pomp, favoured lean squads. Amorim could find himself drowning in a cult of personalities rather than building a coherent tactical identity.

His insistence on a 3-4-3 system that worked at Sporting Lisbon relied on meticulously selected signings. At United, he is buying players he likes without first clearing those he does not. The risk is repeating the same incoherence that has sunk his predecessors.

While other clubs’ fans will be watching the final week of the transfer window for the last puzzle pieces, United supporters will be focused on how much of the ‘dead wood’ clogging the squad can be cleared. It requires the ruthlessness displayed by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, and the recognition that taking a financial hit now will pay dividends later.

By refusing to clear the decks first, the Red Devils risk further undermining Amorim – a cycle doomed to repeat itself if not addressed now.

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