Ruben Amorim’s three-man Man United transfer shortlist revealed – Insider
Ruben Amorim is targeting a new left-back, striker and central midfielder to add to his Man United squad in January, according to the club’s former chief scout.
Mick Brown, who spent over a decade at United during their most successful period and remains very well-connected there, exclusively told Football Insider that the boss has had time to assess his team and identify areas for improvement.
Luke Shaw’s lack of availability and concerns about Tyrell Malacia’s ability have pushed the club to look for options at left-back ahead of the transfer window.
This comes after Shaw suffered another injury setback after making just one appearance upon his return to the side under Amorim.
Meanwhile, a new striker has emerged as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have yet to prove they can start every week for a club with the ambitions of Man United.
Lastly, a new central midfielder will be targeted amid question marks over the futures of Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount and Casemiro among others.
These, Brown explained, are the areas which have been identified for improvement by Amorim as he is already looking to make improvements to the side he has inherited.
Ruben Amorim’s top transfer targets revealed at Man United
Brown previously told Football Insider that United are not expected to be busy in January despite the manager’s plans as their spending powers have been limited.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment and also worked as a scout for the likes of Blackburn and Tottenham, explained that any deals will depend on the backing Amorim is given by the owners.
“Amorim already has an idea of what he wants to do,” he told Football Insider.
“I’m told there are three positions they’d like to improve, but it’s notoriously difficult in January.
“They’re looking at a new left-back, because I don’t think Malacia is good enough, Shaw is still struggling, then you have to play people like Martinez or Dalot out of position.
“They need a centre-forward as well, because the current options aren’t good enough.
“Hojlund has improved, but he’s not doing enough to prove he should start every week for Man United.
“Then, they want to strengthen their midfield as well.
“It doesn’t look like Eriksen is going to be part of his plans, Mount isn’t really a certainty, Casemiro is past his best and will give them a decision to make.
“Whether he is given the financial backing to do that in January, I’m not certain given the issues they’ve had, but he is already looking to make improvements.
“Any specific players he wants to add may have to wait until the summer, and I think there will be more finances available to him then as well.”
In other news, Amorim has been told to resolve a “huge” problem at Man United.
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