When Sir Jim Ratcliffe ventured down to the Manchester United dressing room area after Ruben Amorim’s side had beaten Southampton 3-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday, the mood was buoyant following their late come-from-behind victory.
United’s co-owner mingled with players who had strained to defeat the bottom side in the Premier League, but Amad’s quickfire hat-trick at least made for an easier conversation with Amorim, the purpose of his trip from the directors’ box
Ratcliffe’s visit lasted about 20 minutes and it is tempting to think that as well as appraising what had happened in the game — the third successive United win he had witnessed in person — talk touched on the remainder of this winter transfer window. Because it took just three more days to remind those at the top of the club that this squad is drastically short of the quality required to qualify for European football next season and ill-suited to new head coach Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system.
The challenge of switching formations midway through a season has been exposed by United’s record since Amorim’s appointment in November: five wins, two draws, seven defeats, plus a shootout victory over Arsenal after another stalemate in the FA Cup. The subsequent 3-1 home loss to Brighton on Sunday prompted Amorim to suggest this current side are maybe the worst in United’s history, the latest line in his attempts to jolt his players and others at the club.
By that stage, United had already opened talks with Italian top-flight club Lecce for Patrick Dorgu, a 20-year-old Denmark international left wing-back who can operate further forward.
The club have been looking at that type of position for 18 months, given the long-term injury problems affecting Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, but there is particular pressure to revamp the flanks under Amorim. He wants his wing-backs to be defensively sound and also offer a real attacking edge, the type of player profile United do not especially possess, having constructed this squad with traditional full-backs in mind.
Garnacho’s agent posted a picture from Stamford Bridge on Monday night (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot have performed adequately for him in recalibrated roles, but ideally Amorim would have more offensive-minded players there to increase the threat posed in the opposition box.
Only five teams have scored fewer than United’s 27 Premier League goals this season. It is a problem that stretches back years, starting when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his November replacement Ralf Rangnick oversaw 57 league goals in 2021-22, at a rate of 1.5 per game, and miles off top scorers Manchester City’s haul of 99. Erik ten Hag’s subsequent two completed seasons as manager saw 58 (City again led the way with 94) and 57 goals (39 less than City’s division-best total) respectively.
Amad has shown great willingness when used at wing-back, but it seems clear that with United struggling to create, his best position is as one of the two No 10s, driving into the opponents’ box.
United’s move for Dorgu, who is left-footed, indicates there is an internal desire to add attacking oomph from wing-back, and more generally back Amorim’s tactical idea. Dorgu has scored three goals with one assist in 20 Serie A appearances this season for a side battling to avoid relegation, and is regarded as being comfortable in the final third. Lecce’s sporting director Pantaleo Corvino told Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport last month: “Left or right winger, he runs like three players and can find the goal. He has an engine that no one else has.”
Corvino also said Dorgu is not for sale in this window, but Lecce entertaining negotiations shows he might leave for the right price. The allure of selling to a club the size of United could appeal, given Lecce’s excellent record at finding new players and turning a profit. United executives may travel to Italy as talks continue.
Dorgu fits the profile of player the club have pursued since Ratcliffe’s INEOS empire took operational control in February last year: younger, from clubs in continental Europe and with potential resale value. Last summer’s arrivals of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee have shown, though, that buying from outside the Premier League is not always a smooth transition.
How United might afford a permanent transfer will be intriguing to observe, given the consistent messaging around the club being tight to the wire on financial regulations. United are said to be working on another possible deal, too.
Antony is expected to leave on loan (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
One clear way to make the money mechanics work is by selling a player, and United would reluctantly consider bids for academy graduates, including Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. Napoli’s interest in Garnacho is well-established, while Chelsea have made enquiries about the 21-year-old winger as well. His agent, Carlos Cambeiro, who also represents Amad, posted a picture from the stands at Stamford Bridge during Chelsea’s game against Wolves on Monday night.
Naturally, United would be expected to demand a higher fee for Garnacho from direct domestic rivals — albeit currently several places higher in the table (fourth to their 13th) — than an overseas team.
The sale of Casemiro to Saudi Arabia’s Pro League seems off the table, with sources familiar with the market, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, saying that Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, the club reported to have been looking at an approach for the former Brazil international, aren’t now in the market for a 32-year-old midfielder.
Loan exits appear the likeliest as things stand, with Antony’s temporary move to Real Betis of Spain on course to be completed. Betis will pay a portion of Antony’s salary, which does free up cash flow for United. The 24-year-old Brazilian winger is on a shade over £100,000 per week, due to the 25 per cent cut in his contract triggered by United having no Champions League football this season, as with every other player in the squad.
The pool of possible destinations for Marcus Rashford appears to be shrinking.
Milan are pressing ahead with the signing of England right-back Kyle Walker from Manchester City, which is near completion and would preclude them from signing another British player due to post-Brexit regulations limiting the numbers allowed for Serie A clubs. Rashford’s route to another Italian side, Juventus, has already been closed off by their capture of fellow forward Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
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Borussia Dortmund are waiting to see how their form develops, with uncertainty over the position of head coach Nuri Sahin. Dortmund, who are 10th in the 18-team German Bundesliga, have held meetings and made checks on Rashford but are hesitant to commit to a proposal until there is clarity on who will lead their team from the dugout.
They are also comfortable waiting until later in the window, which shuts on February 3, as that would increase the pressure on United to find a solution and potentially lower their demands for salary coverage. United’s initial negotiating point has been for anybody borrowing Rashford to pay 100 per cent of his wages.
Amorim has not been selecting Rashford (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Clearly, no teams can match that, with Rashford’s wages starting at around £325,000 per week, but clawing some money back for a player who has not featured in their past nine games would be a more palatable situation than now.
Rashford, conversely, is believed to be cooler on the prospect of a move to Dortmund, and would prefer signing for Barcelona. That possibility was raised at the start of January, before it became clear how the La Liga side would fix their financial problems and register players amid the Dani Olmo saga. Club president Juan Laporta’s manoeuvre over future sales of VIP executive boxes at their Camp Nou stadium and appeal to a body within the Spanish government, the Consejo Superior de Deportes, has eased matters. But it remains to be seen how concrete Barca’s interest in Rashford becomes.
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Dortmund, for their part, believe they represent the only realistic avenue for him away from United, which is perhaps why there has been renewed noise around his reintegration under Amorim.
That outcome would be extremely awkward to navigate, given the fundamental reasons for Rashford’s absence since the Manchester derby on December 15, when Amorim took action over the 27-year-old’s performances in training amid questions about his social life. There has been little indication so far Amorim will compromise his beliefs on this subject.
(Top photos: Dorgu, left, and Rashford; Getty Images)
