Charlie Grace

Fri 29 August 2025 9:00, UK

As Alejandro Garnacho nears his move to Chelsea, Manchester United now need to look at reinvesting the money from his sale back into the squad.

Garnacho’s move to Chelsea is reportedly returning United £40 million in pure profit, and United have major weaknesses that need fixing.

Ruben Amorim’s side have endured an awful start to their campaign which has seen the mood at Old Trafford turn toxic quickly, despite pre-season enthusiasm.

United’s shock Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby left many with questions around how Amorim behaved during the penalty shootout that also saw new striker Benjamin Sesko peculiarly take the 10th penalty.

Answers were given as to why Sesko didn’t take a penalty earlier, but huge questions remain over Amorim’s commitment to the club after his post-match interviews, either way, the club need reinforcements whether the Portuguese head coach remains in charge or not.

Key weakness must be addressed before transfer deadline

As United enter the final days of the transfer window they will have to work smartly to reinvest their profits from the Garnacho sale back into the side.

The area of concern for Amorim is undoubtedly in midfield as United continually look overrun in midfield areas within Amorim’s set up.

The cost-free alteration would mean the 40-year-old having to surrender the 3-4-2-1 system he’s so closely aligned himself to, which seems unlikely at this juncture.

As a result it seems United will have to spend again to alleviate themselves from this rut, and two targets the club have pursued already this window would suit them well.

Adam Wharton would bring composure on the ball as well as some bite to the midfield, not to mention experience operating in a 3-4-2-1 system under Oliver Glasner, but it seems unlikely Crystal Palace would sell their prized midfielder, so late on in the window.

Alternatively, Carlos Baleba from Brighton would represent an all-round midfield general who brings endless running, a good defensive output and an expansive passing range that would suit Amorim down to the ground.

Both options would cost a pretty penny, while Angelo Stiller from Stuttgart and Lucien Agoume of Sevilla – both players the club have monitored this summer – would cost less, both players would need time to adapt to the Premier League.

Ruben Amorim’s system could be tweaked, and it would be as good as a new signing

Football Insider verdict

Amorim’s current hyper-specific 3-4-2-1 approach requires a lot from every player, and spells disaster when even one of the ten outfielders isn’t capable of performing it’s demands.

This is currently the case for multiple United players, not least their midfield pairing, the supposed heartbeat of Amorim’s system.

If Amorim was to switch to a more solidified 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1 the Portuguese could compromise slightly on some of his principles whilst also catering better to United’s personnel.

In either system, the midfield would become more reinforced, and allow Bruno Fernandes to play in his more familiar number ten position, with Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo out wide or as a forward partner to Sesko at number nine depending on which formation it is.

The defensive personnel at the club is capable of switching between a back three and back four and Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, and Casemiro could easily rotate in the two remaining midfield positions without costing the club a penny.

If they did want to sanction a further midfield signing, they could slot into the rotation in the double pivot, giving Amorim more skillsets to rotate between.